Misfortune's Favor
by spiralgamer
Summary: Mizuki Himeji isn't the only one who ended up in Class F due to unfortunate circumstances. Even though it's just two more students, the insanity of everyday life at Fumizuki Academy will amplify, leading to several crazy shenanigans later down the line.
1. Chapter 1: It Begins

**This is my first Baka and Test fanfiction! This story will at first be based on episodes of the anime, but will start to grow into its own after a bit. While I have worked on a few other stories for other series with a friend of mine, but this is my first exploit in comedies and parodies. If there are any problems with my story, please let me know in your reviews. I like to hear feedback so I can improve my stories in any way. Also, for those of you who are wondering about OC characters, I am currently undecided on that front other than my own characters. Any OC characters will be italicized and outlined and descriptions of how that character looks will be given. Also, I cannot stress this enough, but since I am currently involved in several other stories, I ask you to please be patient with these stories. And without further adieu, please enjoy.**

* * *

It was a nice morning. The kind of morning in which you just want to relax and sleep in as the suns slowly rises from the horizon to the highest point in the sky. This was the morning that _Itsuki Kaito_ (Age 16) couldn't help but have... but this wasn't the morning to be doing that.

"mmm..." Itsuki grumbled in his sleep as he turned over.

He opened his eyes a little bit and saw that the time on his clock was 10:30.

"... Oh SHIT!" He yelled as he quickly got out of bed. "I'm gonna be late for the test!"

Itsuki quickly grabbed his school uniform, put it on, grabbed his school materials and ran out of his house in a flash. The reason he is so nervous is because today was the placement test at his school, Fumizuki Academy. As you readers may already know, this determines the class in which a student will participate in for the rest of his or her school career at this institution. As for what Itsuki looks like, he had a slender body, hazel eyes and black, short yet spiky hair.

* * *

Itsuki finally arrived at the Academy, running as fast as he could through the hallway. He quickly ran for his classroom, but something latched onto his face. It was a hand, but not just any hand. It was the hand of Sōichi "Iron Man" Nishimura, the most feared proctor at Fumizuki.

"Excuse me, young man, but why are you outside your classroom?" Iron Man asked. "You do realize there's are tests in progress."

"I slept in, but it was an accident." Itsuki tried to explain. "I studied all the material last night, I just need to take the test."

"Unfortunately for you, you must be on time in order to take the exam." Iron Man stated. "Showing up on time is part of the test. You will automatically get a '0' on the placement test."

"Wait... but... that... means..." Itsuki muttered. "I'M GOING TO BE IN CLASS F!" T_T

* * *

About a month later, Itsuki came back to Fumizuki for his second year. He was looking at the Class A classroom and lemented on how his simple mistakehad dire consequences. I mean, Class A's room looked more like it belonged in a mansion than a school.

*This could have been my classroom...* Itsuki thought. *What am I so worried about? I only failed a placement test. I'm sure if I just stay on my normal path (minus the sleeping in), I might be able to climb my way back to the top. I mean, how worse can Class F's room be?*

* * *

Itsuki finally arrived at where Class F was and saw how dilapidated it was. The desks looked like they would be more useful in a kindergarten class and seemed a bit uneven and unbalanced. Also, the pillows were old and torn and there was mold coming out of the cracks in the floor. The room just looked like it wasn't being taken care of at all.

*You have GOT to be kidding me? !* Itsuki thought in disbelief. *This place is a complete shithole!*

Itsuki went up to one of the students, whom was male since he only saw one other girl there.

"Excuse me, do you know where the class rep is?" Itsuki asked him.

"Oh, you mean Yūji Sakamoto?" The student responded. "He's right over there."

Itsuki walked over to where the student pointed.

"Excuse me, are you the class rep, Yūji Sakamoto?" Itsuki asked.

"That's me." Yūji answered.

"Um, do you realize that this classroom has equipment that makes trying to learn very difficult?" Itsuki tapped on one of the desk tables, which then had its leg broken.

"That's how Fumizuki is." Yūji shrugged. "Nothing I can do about it. It's your own fault for failing the placement test."

"I only failed because I slept in, what's your excuse?" Itsuki asked.

"I guess that makes two of us who are lazy." Yūji said.

"... Anyway, do you know of the seating assignments?" Itsuki inquired.

"Oh? Sit wherever you want." Yūji answered.

"There are no assigned seats?" Itsuki questioned.

"Oh, and if you see a girl with short brown hair wearing the boys' uniform, that's a guy." Yūji told him.

Itsuki raised his eyebrow and then took a seat near the front of the classroom and sighed. His pillow seat had almost no cushion so sitting in it felt really weird.

*I wonder if the floor is more comfortable than this?* Itsuki wondered.

_(Begin daydream)_

_Itsuki removed the cushion he was sitting on, but he then felt something bite his butt._

_"Ow!" Itsuki said as he rubbed the afflicted area._

_Suddenly, fungus erupted from his eyeballs and his face transfigured into some sort of fungal mutant, making clicking sounds with his tongue. He then ran over to one of the students, bit his neck, which killed him, then ran off out of the classroom._

_(End daydream)_

"... I better just stick with the cushion." Itsuki decided.

The classroom doors were then opened by a girl with short, purple hair, red irises in her eyes and a slender, yet petite body. Because there were a lot of guys in the room, they eyes were instantly drawn to her. She walked toward one of the only guys that wasn't staring at her like a drooling monkey.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" She asked Itsuki.

"Hm? Oh, sure. I don't mind." Itsuki simply answered.

"Thank you." The girl sat down. "You're one of the only guys not staring at me."

"That's true." Itsuki said. "I only glanced. I like your hair; it's my favorite color."

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" She asked.

"No, I'm being entirely honest." Itsuki stated. "If I was trying to flirt with you, I'd be choking up. I don't exactly have the most confidence when it comes to asking girls out."

"Why is our equipment look like it came from the garbage?" She asked.

"Because Fumizuki believes that if we want to have a good school life, we have to earn it." Itsuki responded. "In fact, I wouldn't be here if I didn't sleep in through the placement tests."

"Wait, you slept in, too?" She asked.

"Yeah, I-Wait, does that mean you-?" Itsuki was about to ask.

"Yeah." She sighed. "I was helping a friend of mine study for a particular subject and I was so tired when I got home, I fell asleep without setting my alarm. When I woke up, it was already 10:00."

"At least you weren't thrown out of the school by Iron Man like an American football." Itsuki remembered a painful moment. "Although, I set my alarm and when it went off, I turned it off, went back to sleep and didn't bother to check the time until it was too late. God, I'm lazy. But I'm smart, I swear. I studied and if I made it on time, I'd be in Class A. Class B in the worst case scenario."

"_Ayane Fukushima_. (Age 16)" She said.

Itsuki looked at her.

"That's my name." Ayane clarified.

"Itsuki Kaito." He held out his hand toward her.

They shook their hands and then the homeroom teacher, Shin Fukuhara, walked in.

"Good morning, students." Mr. Fukuhara greeted in his typical, monotone voice. "I'm-"

Then a kid opened the door to the classroom and seemed baffled by the state of the classroom. That kid was none other than Akihisa Yoshii, the school idiot/'Baka'.

"This is no fair." Yoshii said. "This is violating my civil rights."

"At least you're not alone." Mr. Fukuhara said to him. "Why don't you sit down?"

"All right." Akihisa moaned. "Where do you want me to sit?"

"I don't care, wherever you want." Mr. Fukuhara answered.

"There's no assigned seating? !" Akihisa questioned.

Yoshii then proceeded to his seat, placed his bag on his desk, which caused it to wobble a bit, then sat on the flat cushion that was his seat.

"Uh, excuse me, my cushion thing seems to have run out of all of its cushion." Yoshii pointed out to the teacher.

"Please put up with it." Fukuhara told him.

There was then a chill caused by the draft, which was caused by a part of the window that was broken.

"Excuse me, there's a draft. It's cold in here." Akihisa told the teacher again.

"Please put up with it." Fukuhara repeated himself.

Then the leg of Yoshii's desk broke apart and the fell over a bit, which also caused his bag to fall off the table-er, desk.

"Excuse me, one of the legs of my short table broke." Yoshii complained again.

"Please put up with it." Fukuhara said a third time.

"Not possible!" Akihisa shouted.

"Ha ha ha!" Fukuhara chuckled. "I was just kidding." He then placed a small glue bottle on his podium.

*They weren't kidding when they said this place was brutal!* Itsuki thought to himself. *This place is as ruthless as a Call of Duty player.*

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Itsuki was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II on his American XBox360 online with other people. He was getting killed repeatedly._

_"Who the **** keeps dying? !" A boy shouted over his microphone._

_"Hey, I'm not the only one dying!" Itsuki shouted back. "Oh, just great! They're gonna freaking carpet bomb us now!"_

_"Uh, and who's fault is that?" The other guy rhetorically asked._

_"The developers for giving people these overpowered weapons." Itsuki seemed to have an answer. "I swear, playing this online is always so frustrating. Now that I think about it, why the hell do I even play this?"_

_(End Flashback)_

"Okay, yeah, I'm your homeroom teacher Mr. Fukuhara." He continued to greet himself to his students. "I look forward to teaching you and all that stuff."

Then his podium broke in half and fell over.

"I'll be right back with some tools." Fukuhara began to leave the room. "So you guys just study or whatever."

The students then proceeded to do whatever they want.

"Not the most motivated person here, is he?" Itsuki said.

"Honestly, I almost fell asleep listening to that guy's voice." Ayane agreed. "It's no wonder the people in this class hardly seemed motivated."

"ARE YOU TRYING TO CALL ME AN IDIOT? !"

Itsuki and Ayane turned around to see a girl with red hair tied up in a ponytail strangling Yoshii.

"I wouldn't want to piss her off." Itsuki commented. "Wait a minute, she's that German girl. What was her name again? ... Oh, yeah, Minami Shimada. She transferred here last year."

"I think I can see why she's in Class F." Ayane guessed. "Language barriers between countries with different styles of language and writing can be quite daunting."

Then a girl with short brown hair wearing a male uniform walked up to the group that consisted of Yoshii, Shimada and Sakamoto.

*Wow, there's another girl-* Itsuki was thinking before he remembered something. *Boy's uniform?*

_(Begin Flashback)_

_"Oh, and if you see a girl with short brown hair wearing the boys' uniform, that's a guy." Yūji told him._

_(End Flashback)_

"She's quite pretty, that girl." Ayane commented on that person.

"Um, Ayane... that's a guy." Itsuki told her.

"What?" Ayane questioned.

"The class rep told me that a person of that description is a guy." Itsuki said.

"..." Ayane just remained silent, but then they overheard the conversation from that group again.

"If we could have one girl in this class, I'm glad it's you, Hideyoshi." Yoshii said to the seemingly female man.

Apparently, this comment had caused a vein to appear on Ayane's head. In almost no time flat, she managed to kick Akihisa in the face and send him flying through the wall. For the moment that she kicked Yoshii, Kōta Tsuchiya put his head against the floor and tried to angle his face so he could see her panties. Kōta then had a massive nosebleed and was squirming around the floor in the fetal position.

"I'm a girl, too, you know? !" Ayane shouted at the half-conscious Yoshii, who managed to pull himself from the hole in the wall.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Minami asked.

"I'm Ayane Fukushima. I sit at the front of the class." She introduced herself.

"Oh yeah, you sit next to the guy who slept in during his placement tests." Yūji remembered.

"Hey, that was an accident." Itsuki walked over to them. "By the way, I'm Itsuki Kaito. And as you've already heard, the only reason I'm in this class is because I missed the placement tests."

"I'm Minami Shimada." Shimada addressed herself.

"Yūji Sakamoto, although you already know my name." Yūji said that to Itsuki. "You're already familiar with the school idiot, Akihisa Yoshii. And the guy wallowing in a pile of his own blood is Kōta Tsuchiya."

Kōta finally stood back up, with pieces of tissue paper shoved up his nose to halt the bleeding. "If you ever need pictures, I'm your guy."

"And I'm Hideyoshi Kinoshita." Hideyoshi greeted them. "And I know what you're thinking and I'd like to say that I'm a guy."

"Thanks, but Yūji kind of cleared that up with us already." Itsuki rubbed the back of his head. "If he didn't, who knows what would've went through my head. Uh... forget I just said that."

The door then opened again, this time by an adorable young girl with long, poofy hair.

"Hello?" The new girl asked. "Sorry I'm late."

Everyone in the class had their attention shift toward this new girl.

"I was at the nuse's office. It took longer than I thought it would." The new girl apologized.

"It's Himeji!" Yoshii seemed to recognize her.

"Ah! Yoshii, hi!" Himeji also seemed to recognize him.

Mizuki Himeji began to walk over towards Akihisa, all the guys in the class staring at her and mimbling something, most likely about her.

"How are you?" She asked him.

"I'm good, thanks for asking." Yoshii responded.

There was a moment of silence until the leg of Akihisa's table broke and table fell over and rolled a bit.

"Why is there a hole in the wall?" Himeji asked.

"You know how when it comes to women, men have several bullets they need to dodge?" Itsuki riddled. "Apparently, Yoshii doesn't know how to dodge them. Unlike flies."

A fly then enters the room and Itsuki chases after it. He pulls a flyswatter from out of nowhere and tries to smack it, but each swing kept missing. He tried several times to hit the fly, but it managed to escape outside.

"Damn those flying rat bastards!" Itsuki muttered.

* * *

Later that day, Itsuki was almost nodding off, so Ayane tapped his arm to wake him up a bit.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Itsuki reacted. "The first day of school is always the laziest."

"Hey guys, listen up!" Yūji announced to the whole class. "As class representative, I have an idea! I think it's time we challenged Class E to a Summoner Test War!"

The class couldn't help but start talking.

"You want to have a Summoner Test War this soon? !" Itsuki was surprised.

"Don't you want better equipment?" Yūji asked.

All of the guys appeared to want better equipment based on their responses.

"All we need to do is win a few wars and the awesome equipment in Class A could be ours!" Yūji continued his speech. "We're going to prove to this school that Class F isn't just a bunch of losers! The bottom of the barrel! It's worth trying because we don't have anything to lose! And let's not forget that we have this guy!"

Yūji pointed to Akihisa.

"Huh?" Yoshii was confused. "Who? Me?"

"Most people don't know who he really is!" Yūji stated. "He's a probationary student!"

Most of the students gasped and started gossiping amongst themselves. Himeji then raised her hand.

"Is there something special about probationary students?" Mizuki asked.

"Not just anybody can be one." Yūji explained. "That title is only given to those who are academically challenged and not particularly motivated."

"In other words, he's stupid." Hideyoshi spoke up.

"Pretty much someone who's completely useless." Minami summed up.

"He sounds special, all right." Itsuki commented.

Yoshii groaned in frustration from the insults.

"All right, guys, who's in?" Yūji asked the students.

All of the students cheered. That pretty much settled it.

"I think it's the best idea to challenge Class E first." Yūji suggested. "Akihisa, since you're Class F's ambassador, you have to go to Class E and officially declare war on them."

Yoshii instantly became nervous. "Why me? Isn't declaring war usually for the lower-ranking classes? Or given help for it?"

"Nope, that kind of thing only happens in the movies." Yūji stated. "You're an important ambassador. They've got no choice but to respect you."

"Yeah, but..." Akihisa wasn't too fond of the idea.

Yūji then placed his hands on Akihisa's shoulders.

"Listen to me." Yūji told him. "This is an important mission that only you can do. You wouldn't want to let everybody down, would you?"

Yoshii finally nodded.

"How much you wanna bet he's gonna get beaten up?" Itsuki asked.

* * *

Sure enough.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Yoshii yelled at Yūji.

Akihisa came back with bumps, bruises and insulting writing on his face. Yūji, Itsuki and Ayane were sitting at one of the desks playing cards.

"Told ya." Itsuki looked at Ayane.

"You expected this? !" Yoshii asked angrily.

"We all did." Yūji answered. "But I'm the class representative. Give me a little credit, will ya?"

"Don't pretend like you're sorry!" Yoshii yelled at him again.

"There's no going back now." Yūji said. "Are you ready? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"You're right." Yoshii nodded.

"You know, when I first got here, I didn't really care about any of you." Itsuki said. "But now that I've seen what you guys have to put up with, I feel sorry for you guys. Count me in, too."

"I agree with Itsuki." Ayane said.

"Looks like everyone's all in." Yūji said.

* * *

The next day, Class F went over their battle strategy for their ST war with Class E.

"We'll use Mr. Hasagawa as the teacher for the war." Yūji explained. "We'll need to secure him before he visits Class E during 5th period."

"Won't that mean the subject will be Math?" Yoshii asked.

"Sounds good to me." Minami said. "I'm like way good at Math."

"Indeed we'll use Math." Yūji confirmed.

"Are you any good at Math, Mizuki?" Minami asked.

"It's not my best, but I'm not bad at it." Mizuki responded.

"Yay! Maybe we can fight together!" Minami smiled.

"Unfortunately, she can't fight." Yūji pointed out. "The scores on our last test become our Avatar's offensive power. And the last test was...?"

"The placement test." Akihisa remembered.

"And since I left in the middle of the exam, all of my scores are 0." Mizuki stated.

*The same goes for my scores...* Itsuki thought. *And not just the two of us...* Itsuki looked at Ayane.

"But once the ST War starts, she'll be able to take a recovery test to make up for it." Yūji further explained. "All she has to do is take that test and then she'll be able to fight with the rest of us. The same goes for Kaito and Fukushima. We're counting on you guys."

Little did they know that someone was listening them this whole time.

* * *

The moment Mr. Hasagawa was kidnapp-I mean, detained by Class F, Yūji was ready for Class F to fight. Various students were placed outside to fend Class E's assault, because if they get to Yūji before Class F could get to Class E's rep, it's over. By the time Mizuki, Itsuki and Ayane made it to the room to take the recovery test, Mr. Nishimura had already taken several students to remedial classes. While they were taking the tests, Yūji and Yoshii were back in their classroom, the former about to take a nap. They barricaded the door using their short tables, which likely wouldn't hold off Class E for long.

"Um, Yūji, what's your big strategy?" Yoshii asked.

"I don't have one." Yūji answered, much to Akihisa's dismay. "The whole game depends on force and whoever's rep gets taken out first loses."

"But there's no way we're gonna be overwhelmed, is there?" Yoshii asked.

"We're being overwhelmed!" Minami yelled from the hallway. "We can't take much more of this!"

"Shit." Yoshii simply said.

"I'm not surprised, considering their scores are better than ours." Yūji commented. "If we keep fighting like we are now, we'll eventually lose."

"How can you be so calm about this? !" Akihisa questioned.

"Then again, Class E isn't that much smarter than us anyway." Yūji said. "It will take some time before they're able to beat us... which is exactly what I'm counting on."

* * *

Back in the recovery test room, Minami entered in a hurry.

"I need to take a recovery test, please!" Minami requested from the teacher.

*If Minami's having problems, I better finish this recovery test fast!* Itsuki thought as he began to work faster.

He wasn't kidding about his skills in Math. Simply reading over some of the problems and writing as fast as he could, he was able to complete a few tests before he decided it was time to head into the fray. Before he got up from his seat, he quickly glanced over at Mizuki to be surprised by how fast she was completing every single slip of paper that was handed to her.

*... Ho... ly... Crap.* Itsuki thought with wide eyes. *She's on a serious roll! Not even I could do that! How smart is this girl?*

Itsuki then went to walk outside and then quickly walked back in.

"We've got a problem." Itsuki told the girls. "Some of Class E is outside, waiting. My guess is that they don't want Shimada reaching back to E's rep so easily."

"What? ! Are you serious? !" Minami asked.

"Not sure if this follows their overall plan, so there's a chance that there are a few of students who got wise and thought they should provide a bit of extra protection and buy time." Itsuki hypothesized. "I'll go out there to take 'em out while the rest of you make it to homeroom."

Itsuki then went outside the classroom and walked toward the Class E members, about 5 total, that were standing at the edge of the ST field.

"We're not letting you pass!" One of the sudents told him.

"Actually, you're going to let me go." Itsuki smirked. "Summon!"

Itsuki summoned his Avatar, which was a miniature, chibby version of himself clad in knight armor all over his body, except for his head, carrying a sword, a crossbow and a spearon his back. The score that appeared above his Avatat's head was 205.

"T-205? !" One of the Class E students gasped. "How did he get a score that high? !"

"It's not my best work, since I had to rush, but it should suffice for now." Itsuki expressed. "I'm feeling the crossbow right now."

His Avatar pulls out its crossbow and aims for one of the Class E students' Avatars. He then fires it at its forehead and that student's score dropped to 0. As such, Iron Man came by and scooped up the failed student.

"Those who died, meet me in the remedial classrooms!" Nishimura shouted as he dragged him away.

"Who is next?" Itsuki dared.

"It doesn't matter! We can just combine our strength by teaming up!"

All of the Avatars from the 4 remaining Class E students combined, which were 54, 65, 52 and 50, totaling 221.

*Crap, I didn't think of that!* Itsuki slapped his forehead. *I really should have thought this through!*

"It's over!"

All four of the Class E Avatars were about to bring destruction down upon Itsuki's Avatar.

*This is it.* Itsuki thought as if he was about to die. *It's over... I only wish... that I had a girlfriend before I died! T_T*

Just then, something rushed in front of Itsuki's Avatar and blocked the attacks. Itsuki looked up and saw an Avatar that looked a lot like a chibby version of Ayane wearing a dark grey and black outfit consisting of a sleeveless waistcoat, a undershirt, knee-high boots, wrist guards, and thigh guards worn with sheer leggings and scabbards on the lower back. It appeared to have blocked the attack with a couple of kunai.

"Are you all right?" The real Ayane asked.

Itsuki looked up at her. "Y-Yeah, thanks to you."

"Mizuki, you go on ahead and make sure Yūji is safe!" Ayane turned around.

"Right!" Mizuki started running toward the Class F homeroom.

Her Avatar's score was 234, a little higher than Itsuki's. Her Avatar then pushed all of them back and threw kunai at each of them. Those students were then dragged off by Mr. Nishimura for remedial classes. Itsuki an Ayane then looked at each other.

"Thanks for the help." Itsuki said. "If you didn't come in when you did, I'd be in remedial classes and there is no way in hell I wanna go there."

Suddenly, the ST field shrunk and the hallways returned to normal. It was clear that the ST war was currently over. Itsuki and Ayane ran toward Class F's homeroom to make sure who won.

* * *

At the end of the day, it was Class F who had won the Summoner Test War. Eveyone was back in Class F's homeroom, including the losing Class E rep Hiromi Nakabayashi .

"You were amazing, Himeji!" Yoshii praised Mizuki's overwhelming victory. "We couldn't have won if you as stupid as we were!"

"We helped, you kno-N-never mind." Itsuki said.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me." Himeji smiled.

"This means that we get Class E's stuff, right?" Akihisa said. "It might not be THAT much better than our stuff, but at least it's better."

"Actually, we're not exchanging anything." Yūji pointed out. "Is that okay with you?"

"Who'd want your stuff, anyway?" Hiromi questioned somewhat insultingly.

"Then what was the point of all this?" Itsuki asked.

The classroom door was then opened by someone who looked a lot like Hideyoshi, except they were wearing the female uniform.

"Has everything been worked out?" The new person asked.

"Why are you dressed like that Hideyoshi?" Akihisa questioned. "I get it! You've finally accepted who you really are!"

"Um..." Hideyoshi responded. "I'm right here and still a guy."

"There's two Hideyoshis now? !" Yoshii seemed confused.

"No, you idiot. That's my twin sister." Hideyoshi pointed out.

"I'm older, too, by like 3 minutes." Hideyoshi's twin stated. "I'm Yūko Kinoshita. As ambassador of Class A, I challenge Class F! We are officially declaring war on you losers!"

Some of the people in the room panicked.

"Why? !" Yoshii asked. "What did we do? !"

"We won't take it easy on you." Yūko pointed out. "We'll crush you mercilessly."

"I feel the same way about that fly earlier." Itsuki expressed.

As if on cue, the fly that had appeared earlier buzzed about the room. Itsuki got the flyswatter again and chased after it. Once again, he failed to swat it before it could escape outside.

"Vendettaaaaa!" Itsuki shouted as he shook the flyswatter in his hand.

"Did you really swear a vendetta against a fly?" Hideyohsi questioned.

"It's more sensible than swearing a vendetta against an onion." Itsuki stated.

* * *

Later, Itsuki was about to leave the school when someone called out to him.

"Itsuki, wait up!"

Itsuki turned around to see Ayane trying to catch up with him.

"What is it, Ayane?" Itsuki asked.

"Well, it's just that..." Ayane tried to find the right words. "I'm feeling a bit hungry. And I wanted to know if you wanted something to eat."

"Now that you mention it, I am feeling kind of hungry." Itsuki realized. "What kind of food do you like?"

"How about that one coffee shop?" Ayane suggested. "I know that it's just coffee and sweets, but I thought we could just talk."

"Sounds good to me." Itsuki said.

As Ituski and Ayane left the school grounds, someone was watching them from behind a nearby tree with binoculars. That person was a girl with short, dark hair, a small figure and blue eyes who was wearing, obviously, the female Fumizuki Academy uniform.

"What are you doing?" Yūko asked as she suddenly appeared behind her, almost like a ninja.

"Daah ah ha!" The girl stumbled. "I-Nothing!"

"You've always been so weird." Yūko said.

"At least I'm not like my dad." The girl retorted. "He's been having a rough week at work, so he's kind of high right now."

_(Begin Flashback)_

_The girl was sitting on her couch, watching television when a man comes by crawling on the floor like a worm._

_"Dad, what are you doing?" She asked._

_"I'm just soooooo reeeeelaaaaaaxed..." Her Dad moaned in a relaxed tone as he stretched on the floor. "hehehehehehehe... Oh, this carpet is soooo sooooft... Where did we get this?"_

_"You're the one who got us this carpet." The girl pointed out. "You should know."_

_"...Oooh yeaaaahhh..." Her Dad continued to giggle and moan on the floor._

_(End Flashback)_

"I'm sorry to hear that." Yūko said to her.

"Actually, it's not as bad as you'd think." The girl stated. "You know how there are different types of drunks?"

"I didn't think such a thing was possible." Yūko questioned.

"There are happy drunks, who are silly and goofy, while the mean drunks are the ones who beat up their families." The girl explained. "Whenever my dad needs a high, he uses drugs that just make him happy or relaxed. In other words, he's a silly junkie."

"It still sounds like something to be concerned about." Yūko commented.

"Yeah, it is." The girl agreed.


	2. Chapter 2: War with Class A

**Here's the next chapter, guys! I hope you enjoy! Also, I think I will indeed accept OC characters. Just send me a PM detailing the character's name, a description of their look and personality, age, Class and Avatar/Shōkanjū. Anyway, please enjoy.**

* * *

Itsuki stood in front of Ayane's apartment and knocked on the door.

"Hey, Ayane, are you there?" Itsuki called. "I thought we could walk to school together this morning."

There was no answer at the door.

"Am I even at the right place?" Itsuki asked himself as he pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and read it. "... Yep, this IS the right place. Is she even home?"

Itsuki went to the door to try giggling the lock and the door ended up opening.

*The door's unlocked..." Itsuki thought. *Uh oh, did someone break in?*

Itsuki then gently opened the door to the dark apartment and checked the locks. There was nothing there that looked like a forced entry and there were no suspicious sounds coming from further inside, so it seemed that there wasn't a robbery.

*Did she just forget to lock her door after she came home?* Itsuki wondered. *Or did she already leave?*

Itsuki checked the floor in front of the door and saw a pair of shoes and a bag by the door.

*Okay, it appears she's still home.* Itsuki deduced in his head. *I should lock her door before I-*

Itsuki was about to lock the door and close it when he noticed a picture that he could barely make out from where he was. His curiosity made him walk over toward the picture so he could get a better look. The picture looked like it was taken a few years ago, since it included a smaller, younger version of Ayane standing next to a few other people that Itsuki didn't recognize.

*Is this her family?* Itsuki wondered.

"What are you doing here? !"

Itsuki turned around and saw Ayane with a bath towel wrapped around her body, then put the picture back where he found it.

"I-I'm sorry!" Itsuki apologized. "I knocked on the door and you left it unlocked. I was about to lock it, bu-"

"You tried to open my door? !" Ayane asked.

"I was trying to see if someone broke in!" Itsuki tried to explain. "I was going to lock it, but this photo caught my attention and-I should go now."

Itsuki was about to run out the door, but then he tripped and fell on top of Ayane. As Itsuki was getting himself up, he and Ayane were looking each other in the eyes. The two of them couldn't help but be mesmerized and just stared at each other for a moment.

"Uh... I never noticed how... um... I like your eyes." Itsuki mumbled.

"Th-thank you." Ayane responded. "I... I like yours, too."

The two continued to stare into each other's eyes until Itsuki felt something on the floor. It felt like there were two different carpets, but then Itsuki realized that it wasn't two carpets he was feeling, he was feeling a carpet and a towel. Itsuki quickly got up and covered his eyes with one of his hands.

"I-I'm sorry!" Itsuki apologized. "I didn't see anything, I swear!"

Ayane blinked in confusion and then looked down to see that her towel opened up when Itsuki fell on her. She quickly wrapped the towel back around her as Itsuki tried to run for the door. Since Itsuki blinded himself, he ended up tripping and his head hit the front door. He got up, checked the lock to make sure it was locked before he left and then left the apartment.

* * *

Later that day in the Class F homeroom, Itsuki, Ayane, Yūji, Hideyoshi, Kōta, Minami and Mizuki were all just sitting around while Akihisa was using his new super glue to try to fix his desk's broken leg.

"Man, this super glue is ridiculous!" Akihisa said. "My desk is totally fixed already!"

"Will wonders never cease?" Hideyoshi responded. "Looks like Yoshii got himself better glue."

"We crushed Class E." Yoshii stated. "If we can't even get some stupid glue out of the deal, why bother fighting?"

Akihisa then looked at Mizuki, who was reading a book, with a look of concern.

*If I were running things, she'd have a Class E desk right now.* Yoshii thought.

"Hey, Kaito, Fukushima, you two have been awfully quiet today." Yūji pointed out. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh, no, nothing wrong." Itsuki lied.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Ayane also lied.

"Explain to me why we turned down new desks?" Akihisa asked Yūji.

"They're not new." Yūji stated. "You really want the crappy desks in Class E?"

"It's better than these kindergarten tables..." Akihisa said before slamming his hand on the desk. "They pull out of the trash!"

Something then fell in front of Hideyoshi, which he picked up and saw that it was the bottle of super glue Yoshii used to fix his table. Yoshii then realized that his hand was super-glued to the table. He tried to pull it off, but no matter how hard he pulled, his hand remained stuck. In fact, he even fell over on his back which then caused the table to slam into his face.

"You know why you're making such a big deal out of it." Minami said. "You never use it to study anyway."

"But I do use it. For real." Akihisa stated. "I eat lunch on it, I sleep on it, draw stuff on it, a desk is like a trusty steed you ride during the battle at school!"

"Yoshii's already become one with his desk." Kōta muttered.

"Go ahead and kiss those tables goodbye." Yūji said. "With Class A declaring war on us, we'll be trading them in today."

"No fooling?" Itsuki asked. "That means Class A's equipment will be OUR equipment!"

"Exactly." Yūji said. "That's why we fought against Class E. To get the attention of Class A so we can defeat them in a ST War and take their equipment. Everything's been going accordingly to plan so far. Right, Himeji?"

Himeji then looked up, almost as if she was a bit startled.

"Huh? I-I guess so." Mizuki simply said.

Yūji then opened the classroom door.

"What do you say we check out Class A?" Yūji asked everyone.

Everyone else except for Itsuki and Ayane left the room.

"Listen, Ayane, about this morning-" Itsuki was about to say.

"For-Don't worry about it." Ayane told him. "I guess it was kind of my fault for forgetting to lock my door and when you noticed my towel was gone, you handled that situation like a gentleman. I'm not mad."

"O-okay." Itsuki simply said.

The two then followed the others toward Class A's room.

* * *

The group walked into Class A and saw how majestic everything was in the room.

"So this is Class A." Minami said.

"It seems more like a 4-star hotel." Hideyoshi expressed.

"I could totally sleep in here." Yoshii said.

"Look at that, Yoshii!" Minami pointed to one of the kitchens. "It's like a free coffee shop where you can get whatever you want!"

"Don't let them blow you away by their awesomeness because that's how they get you." Yoshii said with the table, the one still stuck to his hand, on the wall, but he had a bunch of foodstuffs shoved into his pockets like a shoplifter. "You gotta act casual, like me."

"You are the absolute picture of nonchalant, Sir Tablehand." Hideyoshi mocked.

"My, my." A familiar voice came from somewhere, which turned out to be Yūko. "I didn't think we were gonna start until tomorrow."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hideyoshi's evil twin." Itsuki said.

"We just wanted to see our new stuff before we take it from you." Yūji stated with confidence.

"Well, look at the little narcissist." Yūko said.

"She seems like the only narcissist around here." Itsuki whispered to Hideyoshi.

"You have no idea." Hideyoshi said back.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Hideyoshi was at home, watching TV when his sister came in._

_"Um, Hideyoshi?" Yūko asked for his attention._

_"Yeah?" Hideyoshi responded._

_"I couldn't help but notice that a lot of guys came up to you today." She said._

_"Y-yeah, they think I'm a girl." Hideyoshi stated._

_"Well, here's the thing, if you're a guy and I'm your much more talented twin sister, then why aren't guys coming up to me?" Yūko questioned._

_Hideyoshi did NOT want to answer that truthfully, so he kept his mouth shut._

_"Is there something you want to tell me?" Yūko asked._

_"Nope, nothing." Hideyoshi said, although he wasn't lying because he didn't want to tell Yūko what he was thinking._

_"Are you hiding something from me?" Yūko interrogated him._

_*Don't tell her that she's a complete and total bitch, Hideyoshi.* Hideyoshi thought to himself. *That will only get you killed.*_

_(End Flashback)_

"I was thinking we'd mix things up a bit." Yūji said to Yūko. "Have a rep duel.

Everyone gasped at the mere mention of that statement.

"And you're an idiot, too! Wow!" Yūko continued to condescend them. "In what world do you think you could beat our top student?"

"Getting scared? Seems like it." Yūji taunted. "Since you're attacking the weakest class just as they're recovering from their last battle."

"We can finish this right now if you'd like." Yūko glared at him.

"Wait!"

Someone came out of the crowd of Class A students. It was a girl with long purple hair and a seemingly stoic expression on her face.

"I accept." She said. "This duel is mine."

"But Shōko!" Yūko said.

"Only... I have one condition." Shōko Kirishima said as she walked straight up to Mizuki and stared her in the face.

Mizuki couldn't help but feel a little frightened by what was happening right now.

"The winner..." Shōko said. "Has to do one thing the winner says unconditionally."

"So that's the reason you're picking on Class F all of a sudden." Yūji stated.

"Of course we have to fight you!" Yūko stated. "We are Class A, the ones who represent the highest standards of this school. When bottom feeders like you start a war without even cracking a single book, someone needs to put you down."

"Fine by me." Yūji shrugged. "The loser does what the winner says. This should be an entertaining duel."

"It's not a duel." Yūko said. "It's 5 against 5."

"What? !" Everyone seemed to shout.

"But Yūko-" Shōko was about to say.

"I'm certain our rep would emerge victorious." Yūko stated.

"All right then." Yūji got up. "We'll do a 5-on-5 duel so long as Class F gets to choose the subjects they battle in."

*There's no way Class A is going to accept those ter-* Itsuki thought.

"Agreed." Shōko said.

*Well I'll be damned.* Itsuki thought.

"Actually, I would like to make it 7-on-7."

Another girl came out of the crowd of Class A students. It was the same girl who was spying on Itsuki and Ayane the other day.

"That would kind of draw things out a bit, wouldn't it?" Yūko asked.

"Let's just say I have some unfinished business with some of them." The girl said as she looked at both Itsuki and Ayane.

"... All right, then." Yūko agreed.

And with that, the battle had been set.

* * *

Class F's students had gathered around the table, that was STILL stuck to Akihisa's hand, on the school roof, eating lunch.

"What were you thinking, agreeing with that creepy psyho? !" Yoshii asked with food in his mouth.

"Relax." Yūji told him, muching on food as well. "They don't stand a chance against us and we get to boss 'em around when we're finished."

"Uh, don't be so sure." Hideyoshi said. "From what I hear, Shōko is not the girl you really wanna mess with, if you know what I'm saying."

"Really?" Itsuki asked. "Why's that?"

"Everyone's saying how smart and pretty she is, but for whatever reason the boys in this school don't want to go anywhere near her." Hideyoshi told them.

"I got this weird vibe when I was around her." Itsuki remembered. "I can't quite explain it, though."

"That is weird." Minami said. "You're vibe thing is, but I'm saying that about what Hideyoshi said. Anyway, guys love the pretty nutjobs."

"Then it's official, I'm not a guy." Itsuki joked.

"Well, apparently, she's a total ice princess to men." Hideyoshi stated.

"How can she not like us guys?" Akihisa questioned. "I mean-"

Akihisa then remembered how Shōko got real close to Himeji earlier.

"What a minute!" Akihisa may have realized something. "So, what if she's after..."

Itsuki then realized it, too. "No way... You really think she's a lesbian?"

Kōta then started to deattach and reattach parts of his camera.

"Ridiculous..." Yoshii denied. "There's no way that'd ever happen. I mean no judgment, but that's just stuff they make up for late-night cable." Yoshii then looked at Minami. "Back me up here."

"It's real." Minami said. "There's this one girl. She's always jumping me."

Something then pounced on Minami like a jungle cat that left everyone looking at what was happening.

"That's her, isn't it?" Ayane asked.

"Minami said 'jump' and she literally got jumped." Itsuki said.

"Miharu..." Minami said with a nervous look on her face.

"Why do you always want to hurt me?" Miharu asked with puppy-dog eyes. "You love me so much, you hang out with these boys to hide your love from me!"

"Hey!" Minami shouted.

As those two were squabbling, Yoshii was confused.

"Who's that?" Akihisa asked.

"Miharu Shimizu." Kōta answered. "Year 2, Class D."

Miharu was then snuggling on Minami's left arm.

"Stop it!" Minami continued yelling. "Get off of me!"

"There's no reason to be shy." Miharu continued to pester Minami. "I know deep down inside, you love me and I can't wait until you realize it."

"For the last time, I told you, I don't swing that way!" Minami shouted. "Yoshii, a little help here, please?"

"I'm afraid she's right." Akihisa told Miharu. "But I can see why you're confused. Shimada's got small boobs that are barely even there, a bad temper and sometimes kinda looks like a dude-"

Minami then starts twisting Yoshii's legs like a pretzel and starts to break them while Yoshii screams in pain. Miharu was also trying to break Yoshii's arm.

"I do NOT look like a dude!" Minami yelled. "Take it back!"

"That's right!" Miharu yelled. "I love Shimada because she is a beautiful woman!"

Akihisa looked like he was in a lot of pain. Meanwhile, Kōta was trying to take a peek under Minami's skirt while she was busy tearing the crap out of Yoshii.

"I give! I'll do whatever you say!" Yoshii screamed.

"That's more like it." Minami smiled. "Sweet, then you're going to take me out. I expect crepes at that place by the train station."

"But isn't that place super expensive?" Yoshii asked, but then started to feel pain in his legs again. "Okay! Fine!"

"Good." Minami said. "From now on, you have to be super nice and call me 'Lady Minami' and I'll call you 'Aki'."

"Yyyes, My Lady." Yoshii agreed, still in pain. "An I want... I want... you should just... say you love me sometime!"

"Fine." Yoshii was still suffering.

"No, you won't!" Miharu then continued to break Akihisa's arm.

"Say it!" Minami continued to break Akihisa's legs.

While Akihisa was screaming, everyone else was still eating.

"I thought lunch would be boring." Itsuki said. "But here we are with food and a show."

* * *

Meanwhile, the mysterious girl was in a dark corner of the school, talking with someone in the shadows.

"I see, you wish for me to participate in the duel between Classes A and F tomorrow." The strange person said. "This job sounds too easy."

"The opponent I wish for you to fight is not one who belongs in there." The girl told him. "In fact, his power may be on par with that of a Class A student. I've seen his prior test scores with my own eyes."

"Then this should be interesting. Although, you do realize my services don't come cheap?"

"Name your price, and you've got a deal."

* * *

The next day, the 7-on-7 duel between Class A and Class F was about to commence. The first battle would be between Class F's Minami Shimada and Class A's Yūko Kinoshita and the subject for that battle is Math. On the giant screen, Hideyoshi was dressed up in a jacket with a small, black tube top and white cargo shorts while holding a pink umbrella.

"Why am I the round whore?" Hideyoshi asked.

"What are you talking about, Hideyoshi?" Yoshii said. "Do you see anyone else around here as pretty as you?"

"You have a point, but are you aware I'm not a girl?" Hideyoshi questioned.

Minami had summoned her Avatar and her score was 182.

"By the way, my Math scores would put me in Class B." Minami said.

"Wow, I think I might start crying." Yūko said sarcastically. "Summon!"

Yūko summoned her Avatar, which had a Math score of 376, who then proceeded to attack Minami's Avatar. Minami stood no chance against Yūko, as her Avatar vanished as soon as it was hit once by Yūko's Avatar's lance.

"That sucks." Minami said with a sad face.

"I forgot to mention MY Math scores put me in A." Yūko gloated.

"The winner is Yūko Kinoshita of Class A!" The MC said into the mic.

Class A cheered for the victory of one of its star students.

Minami walked back to the Class F group, still looking a little down.

"Don't feel bad." Akihisa told her... and he STILL has that table glued to his hand. "It's not like your Class B Math scores could beat Class A, just because your Math sucks that life outta-"

Minami was then trying to break Akihisa's bones again.

"The second round will now commence!" The MC said.

On the screen was Hideyoshi, this time with a yellow jacket, a green shirt with a midriff and blue short shorts. The second round would have Yoshii fighting... which he ended up losing, but at least the shockwave caused the table to finally separate from his hand. Minami was strangling his arm.

"You thought just because you were left-handed, it would somehow make you smart? !" Minami questioned furiously.

"Our real fight is coming up now." Yūji told his fellow classmates. "Be prepared, guys!"

*It's only been two rounds and we're already getting our asses handed to us!* Itsuki thought. *I don't doubt Himeji's skills one bit and Ayane and myself can probably hold our own, but my real concern is with our remaining combatants. Can we really win this?*

The third round was about to begin and Kōta would be fighting Aiko Kudō.

"The subject will be Phys. Ed., along with Health" Kōta said.

Aiko has summoned her Avatar, which had a score of 446.

"446? !" Ayane said. "That's way too high! How's Kōta going to beat that? !"

"Say goodbye, you little perv!" Aiko said as her Avatar proceeded to attack Kōta's Avatar. His Avatar countered the attack and took her out in a single blow, since his score in Health and Physical Education was 576.

"Holy crap!" Ayane was surprised.

"The winner is Kōta Tsuchiya of Class F!" The MC said.

Class F was now cheering for their round victory.

"Wow." Yoshii muttered. "His Health and Phys. Ed. scores are bigger than all of my scores combined."

"How am I not surprised?" Itsuki sarcastically asked.

"Round 4 begins now!" The MC said.

"Go kick some butt, Himeji!" Yoshii cheered.

"I will fight this one." A guy with glasses and short blue hair walked up to the battlefield.

"That's Toshimitsu Kubo." Yūji pointed out. "This match we HAVE to win. He's the second rank student of Class A, so unless Himeji picks a subject he's not that good at, it'll be a tough fight."

*Come on, Mizuki!* Ayane thought. *We're all counting on you!*

"I choose all subjects combined." Kubo said.

"He can't do that!" Yoshii shouted. "It's our choice! Tell him-"

"Certainly." Himeji agreed with the terms of battle.

"Oh, okay." Yoshii simply said.

"This isn't good." Yūji figured. "When you fight with all subjects combined, your score is basically your rank."

"But if he's the second-strongest student they've got, then it's gonna take a miracle to win this!" Itsuki realized.

"Begin the match!" The announcer declared.

Both Himeji and Kubo summoned their Avatars. Kubo's combined score was 3,997.

"Holy shit!" Itsuki gasped. "That score's ridiculously high. I'm not even sure if my own scores could match."

However, Himeji's combined score was 4,409.

"YES!" Yoshii shouted with a fist-pump.

The strange girl couldn't see the score from where she was.

"What's the score?" She asked.

For some weird reason, Vegeta from DragonBall was standing right next to her.

"It's over 4000!" He said as he crushed his visor in his hand.

"What? ! 4000? ! That can't possibly be right!" She exclaimed.

Kubo and Himeji had an epic clash, that unfortunately didn't depict the actual match, in which Himeji ended up victorious.

"The winner is Class F's Mizuki Himeji!" The MC said.

Class F continued to roar with cheers.

"We've caught up to them!" Ayane said. "If we can win at least 2 more matches, we'll win!"

"Next up is Round 5!" The MC declared. "It will be Class F's Ayane Fukushima..."

Ayane then walked up to the battlefield and she was met by the strange girl who suggested the 7-on-7 format.

"I am Class A's third-ranked student, _Hinata Inoue_." She introduced herself. "What will the subject be?"

"... I choose... Geography." Ayane decided.

"Very well, begin the match!"

Ayane had summoned her Avatar, in which she had a score of 389.

"Summon." Hinata summoned her Avatar.

Hinata's Avatar was a chibi version of herself wearing a karate gi. Her Avatar's score was... 422.

*Crap! I guess I'll have to chip away at her score!* Ayane thought.

Her Avatar threw several kunai at Hinata's Avatar, but with a simple flick of her arm, all of the knives were knocked off their trajectory. Then Hinata's Avatar closed the distance between herself and Ayane's Avatar. When she got right in front of her, she slammed her palm into Ayane's Avatar and defeated her.

"N-No way. H-how did..." Ayane couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"The winner is Hinata Inoue of Class A!"

Class A cheered for their team taking the lead again. Ayane went back to the group with a less than satisfied look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Ayane." Itsuki said.

"It's not your fault." Ayane told him. "I underestimated my opponent."

"Then I've got to make sure we we the next two rounds." Itsuki said as he walked up to the field.

As Itsuki walked up, another guy came from the Class A side. He had grey hair and wore sunglasses, but there was nothing else to note about him.

"The next round will be Class F's Itsuki Kaito against... uh... I'm sorry, there's no name here."

"I don't need a name." The strange man said. "I don't what you call me. I don't even care if you call me something ridiculous like 'Mysterious Stranger'."

"Ehh... whatever. Against Pega-Pny Princess!"

"When I meant ridiculous, I didn't mean THAT ridiculous!" The nameless guy shouted at the MC. "Anyway, let's get this over with."

"The subject will be Physics." Itsuki said.

"Fine by me." The mysterious stranger said.

"Summon!" Itsuki summoned his Avatar, which had a score of 401.

"Summon!" The enigmatic guy said as the summoning circle appeared behind him.

His Avatar had an iron body that generated electricity throughout it and... oh yeah, was ridiculously huge! It was almost as tall the room they were in! It towered over all of the students.

"Wow..." Minami gasped. "That's... big."

Yoshii stared at it, curled his lip and then...

"We surrender!" Akihisa begged as he got down on his knees.

His Avatar's score was... 338.

"Heh, your Avatar's certainly got size, but his score is still lower than mine!" Itsuki smirked. "Have at him!"

Itsuki's Avatar pulled out his lance and charged for the opposing Avatar, but then the giant grabbed him with one of its giant metal hands and began squeezing him.

"You might have score, but I can still chip you away until I can crush you!" The mysterious stranger commented back.

His Avatar then sent electrical currents into his arm and began to shock Itsuki's Avatar, sapping its strength bit by bit. Itsuki's Avatar tried to pull out his sword and then slashed up parts of the arm. The shocking stopped, but the arm was still displaying sparks.

"Even if I go down, you're coming down with me!" The stranger said.

"I think not!" Itsuki said back.

Itsuki's Avatar pulled out its crossbow and then shot an arrow at the giant Avatar's head, which caused it to lose its grip and Itsuki's Avatar ran as far away as possible before the giant Avatar exploded.

"The winner is Itsuki Kaito of Class F!"

Class F began to cheer again now that they've managed to tie back up with Class A again.

"You did it, Itsuki!" Ayane congratulated him as he walked back to Class F.

"I couldn't let any of you guys down." Itsuki told them all. "Now it's all up to you, Yūji."

Yūji nodded as he and Shōko walked up to the battlefield.

"Yūji Sakamoto, Class F rep." Yūji told the announcer.

"Class A representative, Shōko Kirishima." Shōko did the same.

"What will the subject be?"

"Why not raise the stakes?" Yūji asked. "I'd like a restricted Japanese History test. How about we limit the questions? Elementary school level with a perfect score of 100."

Several of the students on both sides were surprised that they weren't going to use their Avatars for this match.

"Then I will get the test prepared and both students can go wait for me in the classroom." The teacher Yōko Takahashi said as she left.

Both students went back to their respective class groups.

"Have you lost your mind, Yūji? !" Akihisa questioned.

"An elementary-level test?" Itsuki also questioned. "The most you'll do is tie with her!"

"He's right." Hideyoshi agreed. "You'll both simply get a perfect score."

"But even a simple mistake will mean a loss for that side." Mizuki deduced.

"Exactly." Yūji said. "Now this battle is merely about concentration and willpower. I've got this in the bag. Whenever Shōko memorizes something, she never forgets it."

"Isn't that bad since History is all about memorizing?" Yoshii asked.

"No, that's how I'll win." Yūji pointed out. "Shōko thinks that the Taika Reform happened in the year 625 and memorized them as 'Taika alive in 625'. I just need the one question on the test and I'll win."

"Hold on, Yūji..." Akihisa said. "The Taika Reforms didn't happen in the year 625?"

"No, the rhyme's 'Taika alive in 645." Yūji corrected. "But it's easy to get confused if someone teaches it to you wrong."

"O-okay..." Yoshii simply said.

"Hello, Class A equipment, goodbye crappy tables." Yūji smirked.

* * *

Everyone except for Yūji and Shōko were waiting back in the room while the test was going on. When the test was finished, the scores were posted on the jumbo screen.

"I've gathered the scores of both reps!" Ms. Takahashi announced. "Shōko Kirishima, you're score is... 97 points!"

"Ha! In your face, Class A!" Itsuki shouted with glee.

"Yūji Sakamoto... 53 points!"

Everyone in Class F went silent.

"... Shit." Itsuki simply said after hearing that.

* * *

Class F's low tables turned into cardboard boxes.

"I didn't think it could get worse!" Akihisa complained.

"Why did they even take our tables when they didn't need them?" Mizuki questioned.

"To rub salt in the wound." Itsuki answered.

"Huh?" Mizuki said.

"They're jerks." Itsuki summed up. "Anyway, what the hell, Yūji? ! I thought you were smarter than most of the people here!"

"Did you stroke out or something? !" Yoshii questioned as well.

"Guess that's my real skill level." Yūji simply said.

"What use is a plan if you can't even get 100 points? !" Yoshii asked.

"Sometimes in life you get hit by that unknown X-factor." Yūji said.

"Especially when that X-factor is your own puny brain!" Yoshii argued.

"Yūji..." A voice came from outside the classroom.

The doors opened and Shōko came in.

"You promised... it's time." Shōko said.

"Right, the loser has to do what the winner says." Yoshii remembered.

"I didn't forget." Yūji assured her. "Let's have it."

Kōta then pulled out his camera in preparation for what might happen as Shōko stood in front of Himeji.

"You can't do this, Shōko!" Yoshii said to her. "That stuff only happens on late-night cable!"

But then Shōko walked toward Yūji.

"Yūji... I want you to go out with me." Shōko requested.

Everyone else seemed dumbfounded by what was happening.

"Oh, I get it now." Itsuki realized. "She only behaved so coldly to other guys because she only had eyes for one."

"I though you'd finally given up on that." Yūji stated.

"I can never give up." Shōko told him. "You're the one I'll always like best."

"Can I say 'no'?" Yūji asked.

"You can't." Shōko said. "You made a promise and now we're going out on a date."

"Wait a minute, can't we talk about-"

Shōko then did something to Yūji, which rendered him unconscious and dragged him out of the classroom.

"Okay... what's that about?" Minami wondered.

"Don't know." Mizuki expressed. "But it's so sweet."

"Then why was Shōko always looking at Himeji?" Akihisa asked.

"Probably to intimidate her." Hideyoshi answered.

"Like a white guy trying to be a gangster, only Shōko actually pulled it off." Itsuki commented.

Just then, the door opened again and Hinata came through.

"If you want to talk to your rep, she left and dragged our rep with her." Itsuki told her.

"Actually, I'm here for you." Hinata said as she walked up to Itsuki. "I've wanted to ask you for a long time now... Will you got out with me?"

The room fell silent once again.

"Here it goes again." Kōta said.

"It's not like with Shōko, where I'll have to be dragged away unconscious and possibly get raped, right?" Itsuki asked.

"No, nothing like that." Hinata assured. "I just want one date."

"Uh... okay. That sounds fair." Itsuki said.

"Great, just give me your number." Hinata said.

Itsuki then walked up to Akihisa.

"Yoshii, punch me in the face right now." Itsuki requested.

"Why?" Yoshii asked.

"Because I'm dreaming and something needs to wake me up before I get my hopes up." Itsuki answered.


	3. Chapter 3: Epiphany? Maybe

**All right, guys! Sorry for the wait! I managed to get the next chapter done! OCs are still open... in fact, I haven't gotten any OC requests at all... or reviews for that matter. I'm not forcing you guys to review, it's just I'd appreciate any feedback to help improve my story for the better. This is also where my story finally goes into more original territory and starts to focus on the OCs and their various situations more often. It also provides an opportunity to try more original jokes like the ones you'll see in this chapter. Also, I'm sorry this chapter is shorter than my previous two, but I want to save some other situations and jokes for later on. It's like that old saying, 'Don't put all of your eggs in one basket'. Anyway, I hope you enjoy... and please review. It's feeling kind of lonely here.**

* * *

At a local movie theater, Itsuki was waiting for Hinata to choose a movie.

"Itsuki, what are you good with?" Hinata asked.

"As long as it's not _Twilight_, I can put up with it." Itsuki stated. "Not that I will likely hate anything you choose or find it irritable in any way, it's just that I know I won't like _Twilight_. It's just, it's just terrible to go through that two hours. Two hours that would be better spent dead."

"All right, then. How about-" Hinata looked back up at the board.

"Oh, what a coincidence running into you here!"

Itsuki looked over and saw Akihisa standing around with Minami and Mizuki.

"Wow, look at you, Yoshii. You got two girls." Itsuki said. "If you were wearing a flashy fur coat and a cane, I would've mistook you for a pimp."

"Are you calling us whores?" Minami questioned with a hint of irritation.

"No, nothing like that." Itsuki explained. "I-t was an observational joke."

"A... joke?" Mizuki asked confused.

Akihisa then poked his head toward Itsuki's face.

"Would you mind lending me some money?" Akihisa whispered.

"Why are you asking me for money?" Itsuki asked. "Are you a mooch or something?"

"Hey, guys. At least you have a say in what you do."

Everyone looked over again to see Yūji with Shōko, however Yūji was in wooden handcuffs that were attached to a chain that was being held by Shōko.

"I have to go wherever Shōko goes." Yūji stated.

"Yūji, how about we see this movie?" Shōko asked as she pointed toward a movie poster.

"That's like a 3 hour feature!" Yūji shouted.

"Then we'll watch it twice." Shōko said.

"What sense does THAT make? !" Yūji questioned.

"At least you're not seeing _Twilight_." Itsuki said.

"Ooh, that sounds even better." Shōko said. "Let's go, Yūji."

"I don't wanna!" Yūji yelled. "Kaito, you're so de-!"

Yūji was then shocked by a taser that Shōko pulled out and she dragged him into the theater.

"Farewell, Yūji Sakamoto." Itsuki said as he gave a salute. "We will never forget your brave, hilarious sacrifice."

Everyone else then gave a salute as a funeral song was being played by the bagpipes in the background.

* * *

A little bit later, Itsuki and Hinata entered the movie theater and took their seats.

"Well, aren't ye a cute couple!"

Itsuki and Hinata were startled by a strange-sounding voice. They looked behind and saw what looked like Ayane wearing a curly, black beard, a black suit and a tall brown top hat.

"Wh-Who are you? !" Itsuk asked.

"I'm just a simple Irishmen! Me no speaky Japanese-y!" The person said with a suspiciously high-pitched voice and an Irish accent. "Shouldn't ye go use the restrooms? Er get some snacks?"

"All taken care of." Hinata then revealed a bunch of popcorn and other snacks, including some soda.

"Oh..." The strange person said.

"Are you really Irish?" Itsuki asked.

"O' course I am!" The person responded.

"Really?" Itsuki questioned. "We'll see about that. I impose but a simple challenge. It won't take long."

"What about the movie?" Hinata asked.

"Eh, don't worry about it." Itsuki told her. "It's just previews. Twenty minutes of crappy advertisements those studios are trying to shove down our throats."

* * *

Outside the theater, Itsuki, Hinata and the suspicious Irishman were outside of a bar.

"All you have to do is walk past that bar without entering it." Itsuki told the person.

"... That's it?" The Irishman asked.

"That's it." Itsuki confirmed.

The Irishman walked past the bar door with ease.

"IMPOSTER!" Itsuki shouted.

"Wh-Wha?" The strange person asked.

"If you were truly Irish, you'd go in that bar and start drinking like no tomorrow!" Itsuki explained.

"Isn't that a little racist?" Hinata asked.

"I know from experience that almost every Irish person drinks, but I'm not calling them drunks." Itsuki stated. "Who are you really?"

**(Note: I do not believe all Irish people are drinkers. My father's side of my family is Irish... although they don't help prove this stereotype is inaccurate.)**

Then a stranger-looking guy with sunglasses came by.

"Hey, that's my trench coat!" The guy said as he took the imposter's coat.

The lack of the trench coat revealed a female Fumizuki uniform. Then a man with curly hair came by.

"Hey, that's my beard!" The curly-haired guy said as he took the imposter's fake beard.

This helped to reveal that the imposter was Ayane.

"Ayane? !" Itsuki responded. "What are you doing? !"

Then for some reason Professor Layton came by.

"Excuse me, but that's my hat." Layton said as he held his hand out.

Ayane handed him back his top hat, which he put back on and walked away. Itsuki and Hinata looked at Ayane with a confused and disapproving look respectively. Ayane quickly dashed away from them as fast as she possibly could, leaving a massive trail of dust behind her. Itsuki and Hinata then decided to head back to the theater.

* * *

The next day at school, Itsuki entered the classroom to see Yoshii lying on his desk.

"Are you okay, Yoshii?" Itsuki asked.

"Nah, I'm just broke and hungry." Akihisa groaned.

"You short on cash?" Itsuki asked.

"It's because he keeps spending all of his money on video games."

Itsuki and Akihisa look over to see Yūji leaning against the classroom wall.

"Yūji, you're alive!" Itsuki shouted. "You're officially the first straight guy to survive watching a _Twilight_ movie!"

"... **** off!" Yūji glared at Itsuki.

"Video games aren't just games; they're a way of life!" Akihisa rebutted.

"Here's a crazy thought, Yoshii, why not get a part-time job?" Itsuki asked. "You should get enough money to pay for new games while still maintaining a budget for food."

"That's not a bad idea, Kaito." Yūji responded. "I'm still mad at you!"

"I could probaby help you get a simple enough job to earn you at least 642 yen per hour." Itsuki said. "I've actually taken one up myself. That's why I've been able to get a lot of games myself."

"Hey, yeah! Let's get me the best job there is!" Akihisa shouted with confidence.

"Actually, I was thinking of something incredibly simple like washing dishes and bussing tables." Itsuki pointed out. "But it should help soften the blow that your spending deals on your budget."

"I just hope it's not as terrible as living in the stone age." Yoshii expressed.

_(Begin daydream)_

_A skinny, unmuscular caveman was walking back into his hut to his mother._

_"I have a question." The mother said. "Why haven't you been able to find a mate?"_

_"Because I keep losing fights to the other suitors!" The caveman answered._

_"And whose fault is that? !"_

_"I hate how in our society, guys like me can't get any woman."_

_"What the hell is society?"_

_(End daydream)_

"Here's the irony with that joke." Itsuki stated. "Guys like us still can't get women. I'm still under the impression that Hinata only asked me out as a prank."

"Oh, by the way, how did that go?" Akihisa asked.

"A couple of weird things happened." Itsuki responded. "After the movies, we stopped for some ice cream and while we were talking, I thought I heard her say some things."

"What kind of things?" Akihisa asked.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Itsuki and Hinata were sitting on a bench, licking their ice cream cones._

_"How did you enjoy the movie?" Hinata asked._

_"It wasn't that bad." Itsuki answered._

_"Are there any other places you find fun?" Hinata asked._

_"Like what?" Itsuki asked._

_"Oh, I don't know." Hinata responded. "Looking around the mall, the manga store, making love in the hot springs..."_

_"What was that last one?" Itsuki questioned._

_"Uh, 'bake... with... oven... mitts... in the... next spring'?" Hinata lied._

_(End Flashback)_

"Dude, you are totally in denial." Yūji commented.

"What do you mean?" Itsuki asked.

"Nothing." Yūji said. "What was the other weird thing?"

"When we got in the movie theater, there was this fake Irish guy annoying us." Itsuki stated.

"How did you know he was fake?" Akihisa asked.

"He walked past a bar." Itsuki said.

"HA!" Akihisa chuckled.

Itsuki then noticed that Ayane had just entered the room, then diverted his attention back to Yoshii.

"Oh, Yoshii, I'll look into places that are hiring simple positions so you can earn more spending money." Itsuki told him.

Itsuki then walked straight up to Ayane at her desk/cardboard box.

"Hey..." Itsuki simply greeted.

"... hey..." Ayane greeted back.

"It's probably none of my business, but why did you do it?" Itsuki asked. "Follow me and Hinata to the movies?"

"That's none of your business." Ayane answered.

"Fair enough." Itsuki said as he went back to his seat.

Minami and Mizuki then walked over to Ayane.

"What was that about?" Minami asked.

"I just followed him around on his date with a disguise. It's no big deal." Ayane said.

"Why were you following them around?" Mizuki asked.

"... You know, I'm not so sure myself." Ayane stated.

"I think I might be able to answer." Shōko stated.

All the girls were surprised that Shōko had appeared behind Ayane from out of nowhere.

"Where did you come from?" Ayane asked.

"When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, they display their love by-" Shōko was about to say.

"Seriously? That joke is so old! You know what I mean!" Ayane interrupted.

"I just walked in here." Shōko said. "I think I know what's going on with you."

Shōko then pulls out a pair of glasses, a notepad and a pen.

"Tell me. Have you experienced wet bed without the smell of ammonia?" Shōko asked.

"Are you asking if I wet the bed?" Ayane questioned.

"No, I'm asking if you..." Shōko said before whispering something into Ayane's ear.

"I'm not answering that kind of question!" Ayane shouted.

"And have you obtained any suggestive thoughts while in the bath?" Shōko asked.

"I'm getting the sense that you're insinuating I'm becoming attracted to someone!" Ayane stated.

"No, I'm insinuating that you're in love." Shōko pointed out.

"Oh, how romantic! Who is it?" Mizuki asked.

"I... I don't know." Ayane stuttered.

"Considering that you were following Itsuki and Hinata, there's only one logical conclusion." Shōko said.

"Do you honestly think I'm in love with Itsuki?" Ayane questioned.

"No, I think you're in love with Hinata." Shōko explained.

"I'm not a lesbian!" Ayane yelled at Shōko.

"Maybe you're suppressing your true sexuality." Shōko surmised.

"What? !" Ayane was dumbfounded by what Shōko was saying.

"Ayane, if you really are a lesbian, we won't mind." Minami said. "The only lesbian I want to stay away from is-"

"My sweety!"

The classroom door had opened and Miharu appeared to be the one who opened it.

"Come to me!" Miharu exclaimed as she ran for Minami.

"How many times have I told you to get the **** away from me? !" Minami yelled as she ran for her life.

"107, my love!" Miharu answered.

The other girls just stared at what just happened.

"... That's sweet." Himeji smiled.

* * *

Later that day at Yoshii's home, there was a knock at his door and Akihisa went up to it.

"Who is it?" Akihisa asked.

"It's me." Itsuki said from the other side.

"Me who-"

"Just open the door!"

Akihisa then opened the door again and Itsuki was carrying a few slips of paper in his hand.

"Have you got me a good job?" Akihisa asked, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"You're gonna get it yourself." Itsuki stated. "I'm just gonna help you to stay on the proper path to getting a job. I have collected several application forms for you to fill out."

"Why so many?" Yoshii asked.

"I wasn't sure which place would strike your fancy, so I took the opportunity to take forms from several different restaturants." Itsuki explained.

"'Restaurants'... So I'm gonna be a bus boy?" Akihisa questioned. "Lame!"

"Of course it's lame, but it would be even more lame if you had to cut your meals into portions!" Itsuki stated.

"Damn it! I have to cut my ramen noodle cup into one-sixty sevenths!" Akihisa groaned.

"'One-sixty sevenths'?" Itsuki wondered.

"One half of one half of one half of one half of one half of one half." Yoshii explained.

Itsuki had a look of 'that doesn't sound right'. "Akihisa, that's one-sixty fourths."

"Are you sure?" Akihisa questioned.

"Yeah, that's pretty much one half to the sixth power." Itsuki said. "Don't you know how exponents work in math?"

"What are exponents?" Yoshii asked.

"... I have a feeling that getting you a job will take a lot of luck." Itsuki commented.

* * *

A little bit later, Akihisa was filling out one of the application forms.

"I don't see what you're so worried about." Yoshii said. "Filling this application is easy as pie!"

"Isn't that what you said about the entrance exams?" Itsuki asked.

"Don't remind me!" Akihisa shouted. "Let's see... 'have you ever been convicted of a felony'?"

Itsuki's eyes then widened.

"I wonder if the time I stole stuff from the school's confiscated items locker counts..." Akihisa wondered. "I'll just check 'Yes'-"

"NOOOOOOO!" Itsuki then tackles Akihisa, knocking him and the chair he was sitting in down to the floor.

* * *

After filling a bit more of the application form...

"Okay..." Itsuki sighed. "Now comes the hard part."

"What's that?" Akihisa asked.

"Past work and references." Itsuki answered. "Past work pretty much explains itself; it's previous employment, but you don't have any. Then there are references; the people who can recommend you, but they can't be friends or family."

"Will teachers work?" Akihisa asked.

"Yes, but I don't think they'll be able to support you honestly on this." Itsuki stated.

"Great! Now which teacher should I choose?" Akihisa wondered.

Itsuki slapped himself in the face at seeing Akihisa's willingness for dishonesty.

"I'm a little off about our homeroom teacher Iron Man... but I'll have to see about everyone else." Yoshii continued thinking out loud.

"Well, you figure it out on your own and we'll continue this tomorrow." Itsuki sighed as he walked toward the door.

"Wait, isn't there more?" Akihisa asked.

"There is, but I'm already exhausted and I want to go home." Itsuki responded. "We'll continue this after school tomorrow."

Itsuki left Akihisa's home so he could head back to his home.

* * *

Later that night, Ayane was back at her apartment, wearing a thin, black nightgown and lying on her bed.

"Damn that Shōko..." Ayane mumbled. "... I am NOT in love with someone... and I know I don't like girls... even though I'm not sure why..."

Ayane then gently closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

"... zzz..." Ayane mumbled in her sleep. "... mmm... mmm... mzzzm..."

Ayane then opened her eyes.

"... Damn it!" Ayane said. "Shōko was right! I am in love... with... Itsuki... how did this happen? Then again, many people had the same question when Justin Beiber rose to fame... We're not going to show a clip of that. Why? Because Beiber sucks and he can go **** himself."

* * *

The next day before homeroom class, Ayane was sitting in front of her desk/cardboard box.

*Maybe it's just a crush." Ayane thought to herself. *Yeah, that must be it! That makes perfect sense! I AM a teenage girl after all. It's probably just a psychological effect of puberty. It's not actually love.*

Itsuki then came through the door, listening to music on his iPod, and took his seat next to Ayane.

*I love you.* Ayane thought and then realized what she just said in her head. *Damn it!*

Mizuki then walks over to Ayane's desk/cardboard box.

"Hi Ayane, how goes your love thing?" Mizuki asked.

"Would you guys please stop pestering me about that?" Ayane questioned, exasperated. "This is none of your business and I don't mess around in your love affairs. How would you feel if I kept asking you about who you like? Annoyed?"

"... That's a shame..." Himeji simply said.

A dark aura then formed around Himeji.

"Please tell me about your love interests or I will be forced to-" Mizuki said in a monotone, creepy voice before the classroom door opened.

Himeji returned to normal and returned to her seat next to Yoshii.

*What just happened to that girl? !* Ayane questioned in her head.

Instead of Mr. Fukuhara coming in, Mr. Nishimura came up to the class' podium.

"Iron Man, what are you doing here? !" Akihisa asked.

"I figured that someone should whip Class F into shape!" Mr. Nishimura announced. "As head of remedial classes, I thought that someone should be me!"

"And from now on, my duties will be as narrator." Mr. Fukuhara plainly said from somewhere else entirely.

"This is even worse news than when they said the _Fairy Tail_ anime would end its run!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"They're ending _Fairy Tail_? !" Akihisa asked, shocked by the news.

* * *

After classes, everyone just in Class F seemed so exhausted after the Demon lectured them all day.

"I'm so tired I don't even have any good jokes to tell." Itsuki said.

"Are you still able to help me further with finding a job?" Akihisa asked him.

"Even if I was dead, I'd have to." Itsuki answered.

"Great!" Akihisa exclaimed. "What's next?"

"Well, normally I would say to create a resume." Itsuki said. "But, like references, there's not much to do because you're an idiot AND a probationary student. So I suggest skipping that until you get a second job. For now, we'll practice what is perhaps the most critical portion of obtaining a job: the job interview. It's where you and a former employer sit in a room together and discuss your abilities."

"That sounds easy." Yoshii stated.

"It's actually much harder than you think." Itsuki pointed out. "You must make eye contact with the employer the whole time, you must dress properly, speak formally and know what to not to do and say. Over the course of the week... or weeks if necessary, we will role play the interview until you're able to handle the interview flawlessly. And we'll do it by doing a movie-style montage!"

"I thought you said you couldn't do any jokes." Akihisa pointed out.

"I guess I still have one or two left in the chamber." Itsuki stated.

A montage of Itsuki training Akihisa then commenced. He had Akihisa do push ups... repeatedly hit a punching bag... and jog all the way up to a shrine in the mountains.

"We should really get started on your interviewing skills." Itsuki said.

"Yeah, all we've done is work out." Yoshii agreed.

"On the bright side, we'll be able to eat more junk without getting too fat." Itsuki stated. "I can imagine what would happen if I didn't work out every now and again."

_(Begin Daydream)_

_Itsuki was sitting on his couch, eating a slice of pepperoni pizza. Did I also mention that he was morbidly obese?_

_"I love pizza, but it makes me fat." Itsuki said as he took a bite of the greasy, saucy slice. "But it's sooooo goooood!"_

_Some of the grease and sauce actually spilled out of his mouth a little and landed on his shirt._

_(End Daydream)_

* * *

At around the same time, Ayane was walking through the halls and noticed Himeji attempting to put a letter into someone's locker.

"What are you doing?" Ayane asked her.

"AAAHH!" Mizuki instantly became startled and was flustered for a moment. "Ayane? ! I-It's not what it looks like!"

"Please!" Ayane said. "Chain letters are complete bull and I'm pretty sure you know that, too! It's a love letter, isn't it?"

Ayane then looked at the locker number.

"Isn't that Yoshii's locker?" Ayane asked.

"Uh... Uh... Uh..." Mizuki couldn't speak up at all.

"Ugh, fine!" Ayane sighed. "I won't say anything about it. And to prove I won't, I'll tell you who I like. But you also have to promise you won't tell anyone, okay?"

Himeji simply nodded. "Mmhm."

"Okay..." Ayane said as she took a deep breath and looked around to make sure that nobody else was around. "I... think I like... Itsuki..."

Ayane blushed as she said this and for some reason, Mizuki just laughed.

"It's not funny!" Ayane shouted.

"I'm sorry." Mizuki apologized. "It's just that I don't really see girls being attracted to him. Though I can't really speak for other girls, considering I love Yoshii. It was only fair to tell you who I like after you told me who you like."

"Why Yoshii?" Ayane asked.

"It actually started when we were both in elementary school." Himeji told her. "Yoshii was always so thoughtful and caring. I also thought he was cute. During the placement tests, I got a fever during the test and passed out. Before I lost consciousness, I could hear Yoshii arguing with the teacher. He said that I should go to the nurse's office, but the teacher would've dropped my score to 0 and that staying healthy was a part of the test."

"That guy sounded like a jackass." Ayane commented.

"But Yoshii argued with him that it wasn't my fault." Mizuki continued. "I know Yoshii can be a little stupid at times, but he's always kind and sweet."

"I guess what Yoshii lacks in brainpower he more than makes up for in heart." Ayane said. "Actually, I think my outlook on him has completely changed."

"So... why is it that you like Itsuki?" Mizuki asked.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure." Ayane expressed. "It's just... I can't quite explain it... there probably is a reason, but I just don't know it yet."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck." Mizuki smiled.

"Same to you." Ayane smiled back. "Aren't you gonna put that letter in there?"

Himeji looked back at the letter in her hands.

"I don't think now is the time." Mizuki stated.

Mizuki then noticed something else in Yoshii's locker. She opened the door and the dark aura that had surrounded her earlier reappeared again. She then took something out of the locker and proceeded to a trash can. Ayane looked at what Himeji was holding and noticed that it was a swimsuit magazine. She watched Mizuki drop it into the trash can, light up a match and dropped it into the trash can, which caused the inside of the trash can to burst into flames.

"The deed is done." Mizuki said in that monotone, creepy voice again, then immediately switching to her normal posture and voice. "I'm going now. See you tomorrow!"

Mizuki then walks away, singing in a cheerful mood.

*... She scares me...* Ayane thought.


	4. Chapter 4: War of the Robots

**The latest chapter is finally up! I've had a very strict schedule these last couple of weeks and I just started my other story. The new OC I am introducing in this chapter is courtesy of NineTheKitsune. On that subject, I am now closing OC requests for this story. With those out of the way, please enjoy my story... and review.**

* * *

It was a typical morning in Class F, which to most people wouldn't be typical.

"Listen up!" Mr. Nishimura shouted to get the student's attention. "Based on the results of my lessons as your homeroom teacher these past few days, you have shown a bit of improvement, but you're all still far from living up to your true potential!"

Itsuki then raised his hand.

"Yes, Kaito?" Nishimura asked.

"I have a suggestion." Itsuki said. "Why not give us a project? Something that would sound fun but teaches us something useful to encourage students to work hard?"

"Hmm…" Iron Man thought for a moment. "… Not a bad idea… perhaps something complicated to prove your knowledge… Yes! The project will be to build a robot and then they will battle it out!"

Everyone was a bit flabbergasted by the assignment Iron Man just gave them.

"Are you kidding? !" Akihisa stood up. "We can't build robots on our own! Just the other day we had problems trying to screw in a light bulb!"

_(Begin Flashback)_

_In the Class F homeroom, the lights went out._

_"Yay!"_

_The class cheered because if there was a power outage, they would probably be let out early._

_"Um, guys." Itsuki said as he opened the classroom door, the hallway lights still on. "I think a light bulb just went out."_

_"Aaaww!"_

_Every student groaned in disappointment._

_"There are some spare light bulbs right by the podium." Ayane pointed out as she grabbed one._

_"Let me put it in." Yoshii said as he took the light bulb from Ayane._

_Yoshii then looked at the ceiling and removed the panel. He then proceeded to pull the dead light bulb out of its socket. By that, I mean he was literally just pulling it without twisting it at all._

_"Grr! I can't get it out! It's stuck!" Yoshii shouted. __"Does anyone know how to change a light bulb? !"_

_Most of the other students of Class F seemed to have no idea how to do that. In response to that, Itsuki, Yūji and Ayane slapped their eyes with their own hands in exasperation._

_(End Flashback)_

"Seriously, Yoshii!" Yūji spoke up. "You can't even change a stupid light bulb? !"

"Hey, I've never done it before!" Yoshii retorted.

"Then just this once, I will permit you all to participate in the project in groups." Iron Man stated. "You may discuss your teams and when you have all decided, you will announce it with the class."

Most of the students then started talking with each other.

"Um... Itsuki?" Ayane asked.

"Yeah?" Itsuki responded.

"I was wondering if... well, if we coul-" Ayane was about to say.

"KAITO!" Akihisa exclaimed right near Itsuki's ear. "How's about you join my group?"

"Am I going to be doing all the work?" Itsuki asked.

"... Maybe." Akihisa answered. "Anyway, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi are also on my team."

"We never agreed to any of that." Hideyoshi spoke up.

"So, are you in?" Akihisa asked.

"Well... I suppose so." Itsuki answered.

"Great then!" Akihisa exclaimed as he walked back to his seat.

"What was it you wanted, Ayane?" Itsuki asked.

"Oh, nothing." Ayane responded while looking away a bit.

"Ayane..." Mizuki said as she walked up to Ayane. "Since the guys are working together, how about us girls work together? Me, you and Minami?"

"Actually... I would like that." Ayane responded.

"Great! Now we won't have to worry about working with pervy guys!" Minami said.

"If it's just gonna be the girls, mind if I join?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

The three girls looked to where the unfamiliar voice came from and saw a girl with medium-length, brown, wavy hair and hazel eyes. She wore the girl's uniform with a set of headphones around her neck attached to a MP3 player and she was carrying a sketch pad and pencil.

"Who are you?" Ayane asked.

"I'm _Takumi Ayano _(Age 15." She introduced herself. "I transferred here from America last year."

"We should have noticed you." Minami said. "There are so many guys here that we'd be easy to find. Where have you been this whole time?"

"I was just submitted into the story." Takumi answered.

"What?" Mizuki questioned.

"Nothing." Takumi simply responded.

"Anyway, yeah, you can join us." Ayane said.

"I guess we have our team then." Mizuki smiled.

* * *

After everyone had chosen their groups, they submitted their teams to Mr. Nishimura. The groups were Yoshii's group, the girls' group, the FFF Inquisition... and who the hell cares about the other groups?

"The deadline for this project will be next week!" Iron Man stated. "On that day, each of your robots will fight in a round-robbin' tournament! The last robot standing wins!"

"How are we going to make a robot in less than a week? !" Yoshii questioned.

"That's a taller order than getting Americans away from video games involving shooting things." Itsuki commented.

_(Begin Daydream)_

_At a GameStop in Los Angeles, a guy walks into the store and looks at a shelf of games._

_"Let's see..." The guys said. "What the hell is 'Tales of'-Oh, 'Halo'! I want this one!"_

_(End Daydream)_

Itsuki then looks towards the readers. "If you're reading this America, take the hint."

* * *

Later that day, Itsuki, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi were waiting outside Akihisa's front door.

"Where is he?" Itsuki asked. "I hate to be the impatient, but I can't stand standing around here anymore. My legs are getting sore."

"Wimp." Yūji commented.

"Says the guy who's completely whipped." Itsuki said back.

"Well, at least Shōko can't be involved in this." Yūji commented. "Shōko can't use technology at all."

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Shōko was in the local mall and she was about to pass by a cell phone kiosk._

_"Young lady." The kiosk salesman tried to get Shōko's attention. "How would you like to try out the latest version of the iPad?"_

_Shōko takes the iPad out of the salesman's hand and then the iPad spontaneously sparks up and malfunctions. Shōko then tosses the phone aside and it lands in front of a guy passing by._

_"Hey, an iPad!" The guy exclaims as he picks it up._

_The iPad spontaneously bursts into flames and the guy was also caught on fire._

_"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" The guy screams as he runs away while he was on fire._

_(End Flashback)_

Akihisa then came by with a plastic bag.

"Sorry I'm late." Akihisa apologized. "I had to stop by the book store to find a book on building robots... I also picked up some manga... and gravure magazines."

"What book did you get?" Itsuki asked. "... On robots?"

"Although I would like to know what magazines you got." Kōta said.

"I got 'How To Build a Super Awesome Robot In Less Than A Week'!" Akhisa yelled as he pulled out a book with that very title.

"Huh..." Itsuki said. "What are the odds?"

"Shall we do a montage of our robot building?" Yoshii asked.

"Right after the readers see what the girls are up to." Kōta said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the girls were in the school's storage room. Mizuki and Ayane were busy trying to build a schematic for their robot.

"Do you think we should give it a shuriken launcher?" Ayane asked.

"What's a shuriken?" Mizuki asked.

"It's those stars ninjas throw around." Ayane told her.

"We could do that." Mizuki said.

"I have another question: why are Minami and Takumi not doing anything?" Ayane questioned.

"Because if we did, we'd probably screw something up." Minami stated. "Like I might say that I want a big laser cannon, but then you shoot down my idea by saying that it can't be done."

"It can't." Mizuki pointed out. "It would take years to build something like that. And the way those people in the movies take alien weaponry and manufacture it in a matter of hours is complete bull."

"... I never thought of you as the type to use the term 'bull'." Minami stated.

* * *

Over the course of the next few days, the guys were building their robot. It was a grueling process. After those days, the guys have finally finished their robot. It was designed with a box-like body, tank treads for legs, saw blades for hands and a camera for a face and eyes.

"I thought we were going to do a montage." Kōta brought up.

"Eh, we couldn't come up with a good or funny one." Itsuki explained. "Remind me why we used a camera for its head?"

"That was my idea." Kōta answered.

"Anyway, let's destroy something." Itsuki suggested.

"Let's see... what could we destroy that's here in my house?" Akihisa wondered.

"Let's start with something small." Yūji said.

Akihisa looked around. "Oh, let's see what's inside a magic 8 ball!"

"Do you have one?" Yūji asked.

"No, I was planning on getting one from the store." Akihisa stated.

"Wh... Where would you get one?" Yūji questioned.

"... Okay, you got me. I have no idea where to get one." Yoshii admitted.

"Maybe the toaster?" Itsuki spoke up.

"Why the toaster?" Akihisa asked. "I might need it to make burnt toast-You know what? Obliterate it for all I care."

"Wait." Itsuki said. "I think we should make a phrase to commemorate this moment. Like Neil Armstrong on the moon or Robert Oppenheimer in the Manhattan Project. We need the right words for this historic event. I mean, Class F has built a functioning robot!"

"... How about 'Die, toaster, die'?" Hideyoshi asked.

"... Yeah, let's go with that!" Itsuki agreed.

Itsuki placed the toaster on the floor and everyone put protective goggles on to protect their eyes from any sparks and debris. Itsuki held the remote control and with a press of the button, the saw blade hands began to whir at untold rpm (revolutions per minute). Then the robot began to move toward the toaster and it used its saw blades to tear the toaster apart like it was butter. After the toaster received enough punishment, Itsuki turned off the robot.

"... What's next? !" Akihisa asked in excitement.

* * *

While the guys were doing that, Mizuki and Ayane were walking up to Akihisa's front door, with Mizuki carrying a basket with a large pink napkin over it.

"Do you think Yoshii will like the lunch I made him?" Mizuki asked.

PLOW!

The robot burst right through Yoshii's front door and completely startled the girls. They both ran back in the direction they came from.

"AWESOME!" Akihisa shouted at the sight of the robot bursting through his door.

The boys then went outside to check the damage on the door.

"Oh, yeah. This door got the full Wall-E." Itsuki said.

"You named it Wally?" Yūji questioned.

"Not Wally." Itsuki said before clearing his throat. "*in WALL-E voice* WALL-E."

"Now that you mention it, our robot does kind of look like WALL-E." Akihisa stated.

"Yeah, it was a cute movie, but I didn't think it was as good as people made it out to be." Itsuki said. "Speaking of which, did you get its underlying message?"

"That even a little guy can be a hero?" Akihisa guessed.

"No, that we'll if society escalates its sedentary lifestyle, we'll become too fat and lazy to leave our chairs." Itsuki corrected.

The girls then came back up and saw the guys.

"What the hell? !" Ayane shouted at them. "That thing almost killed us!"

"If it wanted to kill you, you'd be dead." Kōta stated.

"Why are you here anyway?" Yūji asked.

"I just thought Yoshii might be hungry, so I brought him a homemade lunch." Mizuki answered, holding out the basket.

"Really? That's so sweet of you." Yoshii told her as he took the basket.

"I hope you like it." Mizuki said. "I made it myself and I wanted you to be the first to try it."

"That explains you, Himeji, but what about you, Ayane?" Yūji questioned.

"I... I... Itsuki, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Ayane requested.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Itsuki responded.

Ayane and Itsuki walked away from the others and down the flight of stairs to the ground floor. Ayane checked to make sure no one else was looking and then she pulled something out of her bag. She held it out and revealed it to be a small box wrapped in a napkin.

"What is that?" Itsuki asked.

"It's a um..." Ayane stuttered and blushed. "It's lunch... I made... I want you to have it."

"Thanks." Itsuki said. "That's very thoughtful of you. I didn't know you knew how to cook."

"Well, I know whatever I make must be better than what Himeji made." Ayane stated.

"That statement was a bit condescending, don't you think?" Itsuki asked.

"I'm serious." Ayane said. "I saw her try to cook and she put stuff in there no one should ever put in there."

"You mean like goat hooves and lizard hips?" Itsuki asked.

"At least those are edible!" Ayane responded. "She-"

"Ready to go, Ayane?" Mizuki asked as she was coming down the stairs.

"Oh, coming." Ayane responded. "I'll see you later, Itsuki."

Mizuki and Ayane left and the last words Ayane told Itsuki had him thinking for a moment.

"... Oh, my, God..." Itsuki said to himself as he started running back up the stairs to Yoshii's front door.

Itsuki ran as fast as he could, but it was too late. When he arrived, Akihisa, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi were on the floor, holding onto their stomachs and remained motionless, like corpses.

"What happened to you? !" Itsuki asked.

Akihisa struggled to move, but he pointed his finger toward the basket of food Himeji gave them, which was sitting on the ground. For some reason, the food in the basket had an aura of death surrounding it. Itsuki tried to get closer to inspect it, but he got too close and ended up taking a whiff of the food's scent. Itsuki then started to feel woozy and fell to his knees. Just then, he was feeling some sort of sudden urge. He tried to get up, having to hold onto the nearby railing to lift himself up. Itsuki then put his head over the railing and...

"UUUUAAAAAGGH!"

Itsuki was vomiting off the railing to the ground below. Then a car alarm went off.

"My car!" Some guy on the ground shouted.

"Th... that food is the Reaper incarnate..." Itsuki said as he tried to catch his breath, but then he thought of something. *Wait, are the girls trying to poison us to get rid of the only real competition? But then why would Ayane tell me? Is her lunch poisoned, too?*

Itsuki held out the wrapped box Ayane had given him. He held it away at arm's length and then slowly unwrapped it. After unwrapping the napkin, he slowly opens the box and sees the food inside it. Itsuki brought it closer to him, to see if there was any dangerous scents. Nothing seemed wrong. Itsuki then took a small piece of food from the box and then tossed it into his mouth to test taste it. After several bites, Itsuki's eyes widened.

"... This... is... DELICIOUS!" Itsuki shouted as he proceeded to eat the rest.

Suddenly, Itsuki felt something grab his leg. It was Akihisa, crawling on the floor like a dismembered soldier. Itsuki felt bad that he was the only one to get good food, so he gave some of it to Akihisa. Akihisa then put the food in his mouth and as soon as he swallowed it, he was standing on his feet again as if he had never eaten Himeji's food in the first place.

"WOW! Ayane sure can cook!" Akihisa shouted. "I wonder if it can cure cancer? If it can, we'd be rich!"

"I don't think we should press our luck." Itsuki commented. "... And I have to give the rest to everyone else, don't I?"

* * *

After they cured Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi, they patched up Yoshii's front door with wooden boards and nails and discussed what just happened.

"Okay, the way I see it..." Yūji started. "This was either a complete accident or... The girls intentionally tried to poison us to get rid of the only competition."

"Wait, then why did Ayane warn Itsuki about Himeji's food?" Akihisa questioned.

"It's possible that Ayane is acting as a double agent without any of us knowing it." Yūji told him. "If this holds true, we might have an ace in the hole for the battle."

"... Hey, we don't know if the others have good robots!" Akihisa realized.

"Dude, this is the rest of Class F we're talking about!" Itsuki pointed out. "They're either gonna try to build something that's impossible for them or just do nothing and laze around. Like when they created the Summer of Torture in the second season of _The Melancholy of __Haruhi Suzumiya_. Really, why the hell would they do that? To piss people off? 'Cause they certainly succeeded on that front."

* * *

A couple of days later, it was finally time to show off the different robots the class built. Everyone except the girls, Yoshii's group and the FFF Inquisition didn't build a robot. One of the groups simply stacked a bunch of sticks together into the shape of a robot and when the draft from the wind outside blew, the stick robot fell apart and collapsed on itself.

"Told you." Itsuki said. "Yoshii, you owe me 500 yen."

"Looks like the Inquisition managed to build something." Hideyoshi said as he pointed to the Inquisition.

The FFF Inquisition had built a small humanoid robot that they decorated with their iconic purple cloaks and masks with the 'F' symbol on the mask's forehead and carried a scythe.

"Since the Inquisition made a robot, you owe me 500 yen!" Akihisa stated.

"Whatever." Itsuki said as he handed Akihisa a 500 yen bill.

Akihisa giggled at the sight of the bill... I mean, for him, it's more money, right?

"I'll sell you this picture of Hideyoshi, 500 yen sale." Kōta spoke up as he pulled out a picture.

"SOLD!" Akihisa exclaimed as he gave Kōta the 500 yen and Kōta gave him the picture.

Akihisa made the same giggling again.

"... What the hell?" Itsuki wondered.

"I wonder what the girls' robot looks like." Hideyoshi said.

The guys looked around and found the girls. At their table was a robot that looked like... a metallic, cute, little teddy bear.

"... Aw, it's so cute!" Itsuki reacted.

"Yeah, this contest is ours." Yoshii stated.

"All right, students! Take your seats!" Iron Man's voice boomed.

All of the students took their seats and Mr. Nishimura went up to the podium.

"I see most of you have done absolutely nothing on this assignment!" Iron Man stated. "Disgraceful! At least some of you have actually made actual robots! Since there are only three robots, the first match will be the girls' team versus the Yoshii team and the winner of that match gets to fight the Inquisition team! The battles will take place in the gym! We will head there now!"

* * *

All of the students went to the school's gymnasium and Mr. Nishimura and the rest of the class were standing on the sidelines while Mizuki, Minami, Ayane and Takumi were on one side of the gym and Akihisa, Itsuki, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi on the opposite side, each side with their own robot.

"After the modifications we've made over the last couple of days, there's no way we can possibly lose!" Akihisa said, excited.

"What modifications?" Itsuki questioned. "All we did was put a new set of batteries in the remote."

"Still, we can't lose!" Yoshii stated.

"Ready!" Iron Man shouted as he raised his arm up. "Begin!" He shouted as he threw his arm back down.

Both robots strolled over to the center of the gym and were ready for combat.

"We can take anything they throw at us!" Yoshii exclaimed.

Mizuki pressed a button on their remote controller and suddenly, their robot started to shift its various parts around its body and became bigger and larger. When the transformation was finished, the robot transformed into something that could be best described as a mechanical, humanoid dragon.

"Size don't matter!" Akihisa shouted. "We can take anything you throw at us!"

One of the robot monster's arms then shot flames towards the robot to intimidate the guys. The guys were left completely dumbfounded and speechless by what that thing just did.

"... Except that." Akihisa said.

"Run, Wall-E, run!" Itsuki shouted.

The boys' robot turned around and strolled away at an incredible speed into the hallway, breaking down the door in the process. The mechanical dragon chased after it and before anyone could enter the hall to see what was happening...

KRUNCH! KRUNCH! KRUNCH! ... BOOOM!

The sounds of crushed metal and a small explosion could be heard from the hallway, followed by a T-rex like roar.

"... Dayyum!" Kōta exclaimed.

Yoshii ran out to check out the damage and whatever he saw, it didn't look good. He fell to his knees and had a sad look on his face.

"... This is my fault..." Akihisa muttered. "Wall-E was killed by my hubris and my pride. Nobody else take the blame for this because it's my fault..."

"... Nobody's arguing with you, Yoshii." Hideyoshi stated.

* * *

Later that day, Akihisa, Itsuki, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi were outside by the school's courtyard standing in front of a mound of dirt with a piece of wood sticking out of it. There was something written on the wood: 'Here lies Wall-E. R.I.P.'.

"Am I the only one that finds this a little weird?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Well, look on the bright side." Akihisa said. "At least we each got a B in robotics. That's not something students in Class F can say often... Wait, didn't Yūji say that Ayane might have been a double agent?"

"It was a theory, which has been proven wrong." Yūji calmly explained.

"That's a pretty lame excuse!" Akihisa shouted at Yūji.

Ayane then came up to them.

"Um, Itsuki, do you mind if I can talk to you in private?" Ayane asked.

"Uh, sure." Itsuki responded.

The two of them walked away to an area where there weren't any people around and Ayane checked to make sure no one was around.

"You know how the other day I gave you some lunch?" Ayane asked.

"Yeah, that was amazing!" Itsuki responded. "After the other guys had Himeji's food, your food managed to bring them back to life."

"... You... gave them the food I made for you?" Ayane questioned.

"Yeah, although they probably wouldn't have eaten it if I hadn't tried it out first." Itsuki stated.

"... Never mind. I got to go." Ayane said as she walked away. *I made food for HIM and he goes and shares it with his friends... I guess it wasn't entirely his own fault..."

"... What was that about?" Itsuki wondered.

Then Yoshii came up from behind him.

"Wait, I thought you were gonna help me get a job?" Akihisa asked.

"We got sidetracked." Itsuki stated. "Maybe next chapter... MAYBE."

Without warning, Itsuki found himself crucified to a giant wooden cross and surrounded by members of the FFF Inquisition.

"Huh? What the?" Itsuki exclaimed in confusion. "What the hell's going on here? !"

"This Inquisition is now in session." The leader, Ryō Sugawa, said. "The defendant, Itsuki Kaito, is under trial for interacting with girls, which our kind severely prohibits. What say you?"

"GUILTY!" The other Inquisition members shouted.

"Itsuki Kaito, you are hereby sentenced to the death penalty!"

The Inquisition proceeded to do unknown things to Itsuki while Akihisa just watched.

"... I wonder what's on TV?" Akihisa wondered as he walked away.


	5. Chapter 5: Denial

**Sorry these chapters keep taking so long. I've been busy with a lot of things lately, including my other story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter. And please review.**

* * *

At the mall, the guys (Akihisa, Itsuki, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi) were at an electronics store looking at various forms of merchandise. Akihisa and Itsuki were looking at the video games they had there.

"... Do you what usually baffles me?" Istuki spoke up. "Whenever a company other than Atlus attempts to localize a game for release in other countries, it takes almost a year or a little over. I mean, do they lack the translating manpower?"

"Why should we even care?" Akihisa questioned. "We live in Japan."

"I know, it's just something that occurred to me." Itsuki stated.

Meanwhile, Kōta was looking at the various cameras they have.

"... Got that one..." Kōta said as he browsed the camera parts and lenses. "... Got that one... Got that one... That one is WAY outdated... Ooh, I could use that one."

Kōta took one of the packages off the shelf.

Meanwhile, Hideyoshi was looking through some of the merchandise elsewhere in the store.

"... Why do I have the feeling like I'm being watched?" Hideyoshi wondered.

Hideyoshi turned around and saw a bunch of guys put move their heads down and casually sifting through the merchandise in front of them.

"... I don't get people." Hideyoshi said.

The guys then lifted their heads again and stared at Hideyoshi, then Itsuki came up to them.

"This isn't a zoo, people!" Itsuki told them. "Stop staring or I swear I will turn a hose on you! ... Oh, and that's guy."

The guys quickly then went back to their own business.

"Why were they staring?" Hideyoshi asked Itsuki.

"Girls don't come in here that often." Itsuki replied.

"I'm not a girl." Hideyoshi pointed out.

"That's what some people say about Poison." Itsuki stated.

_(Begin skit)_

_In a bar, Poison (from Final Fight and Street Fighter) was sitting on a stool by the counter and a man walks up to her._

_"Hey-" The man speaks up._

_"I'm a guy." Poison interrupted again._

_"Okay." The guy walks away._

_Then a woman comes up._

_"Can I-" The woman is about to say._

_"I'm a girl." Poison interrupted._

_"Okay." The woman walks away._

_(End Skit)_

All of the guys reunited at the entrance carrying a bag or two.

Well, that's everyone." Yūji said. "Wait, where's Yoshii?"

"I'm here!" Akihisa called out to them, carrying a lot of video games stacked so high that he had a hard time keeping it all balanced. "I just gotta pay for all these!"

"NO!" Itsuki shouted. "No, Yoshii! Until you get a job, you aren't allowed to purchase so many games!"

"That's no fair!" Akihisa said. "I have to buy these games!"

"I'm saying that you don't need to purchase them all at once." Itsuki explained. "You can buy one every two weeks, but that's it until you start working. Don't you want to eat larger portions for meals?"

"... Yeah, I kinda do." Akihisa looked down. "Damn it! Itsuki, you're a gamer like me. Can you help me decide on which game to get?"

"No problem." Itsuki said as he started looking at the games. "... Not great... bad..." Itsuki threw that one away. "... terrible... terrible... dog shit... dog shit... horse shit... donkey shit... bird shit... This one is waaay too easy. Yoshii, don't you want to challenge your skills as a gamer?"

"What exactly are you getting at?" Akihisa asked.

"I think it's time you actually put those gaming skills to the test!" Itsuki said. "What I am going to recommend is going to be a grueling, relentless, merciless and emotionally taxing experience you'll ever have to endure. But, if you succeed, you may come out a better player and possibly a better person as a result."

"Don't keep us in suspense!" Hideyoshi said. "What is it?"

"... Dark Souls..." Itsuki said.

Everyone gasped.

"But I heard that game is incredibly hard!" Akihisa yelled. "I don't even know of anyone who has beaten it!"

"... Yes, you do." Itsuki said. "I have beaten it once."

Everyone gasped again.

"You must be some sort of gaming master!" Yūji said.

"I have only beaten it ONCE." Itsuki stated. "It might sound like a huge achievement, and it kind of is, but the real challenge is completing a second playthrough."

"What happens in a second playthrough?" Hideyoshi asked.

"You start from the beginning again, but the enemies get stronger." Itsuki answered. "Completing the game on New Game Plus is the ultimate achievement I can think of in solo games. Yoshii, play through the game twice and you will learn something about yourself. As a player and a person."

"... I'll do it!" Akihisa accepted the challenge.

"Great then!" Itsuki said. "Oh, and to spice things up, you can't look up videos, guides or wikis to help you out! You'll be on your own... somewhat."

"What do you mean 'somewhat'?" Akihisa asked.

"I'll tell you this." Itsuki said. "After defeating the second boss, you'll obtain an item that allows other people online to summon you to their game for assistance. This will allow you to learn each area without risking your own life too much. You can also summon other players to help you. They will be your only help in that bleak, dangerous world."

"What about homework?" Akihisa asked.

"Eh, I've seen your grades. The game's not gonna affect it much." Itsuki stated.

"BURN!" Kōta laughed.

* * *

Mizuki, Ayane, Minami and Takumi were all in a swimwear store, looking at a variety of swimsuits.

"... Why are we here again when it's only the middle of spring?" Ayane questioned.

"It helps to be prepared early." Mizuki responded as she was fiddling through some of the swimsuits, then pulls a revealing pink bikini. "Do you think this would look good on me?"

"I think it looks too revealing." Ayane said. "Do you want the guys ogling at your boobs?"

"Great then!" Mizuki smiled. "I'll go see if it fits."

Mizuki then went into the changing rooms, leaving Ayane confused.

"I don't get it." Ayane said as she turned to Minami. "Why would she just want to flaunt herself like that?"

"Maybe because some girls actually want the guys to notice them." Minami answered.

"Don't you find that degrading at all?" Ayane questioned. "I don't even understand why people go swimming in the first place."

"You never went swimming, Ayane?" Takumi asked.

"No." Ayane answered. "Why would people go into a pool of water when they do that every day alone in a relaxing bath?"

"I think you answered your own question." A soft voice spoke.

Ayane, Minami and Takumi turned to see Hinata.

"It's the human contact that makes swimming fun." Hinata further stated. "You should try it sometime."

"Ooh!" Takumi exclaimed as she found a swimsuit. "I think this one would look good on you, Ayane."

Ayane looked at the swimsuit Takumi was holding up, which was a dark purple bikini which were strings except for the parts that would only cover what absolutely needed to be covered.

Ayane blushed at the mere sight of it. "I-I'm not wearing that thing!"

"Come on, you'd look great in it!" Minami handed it to her.

"How about we try these on and see how they look on us?" Takumi suggested.

"Count me in!" Minami agreed.

"Mind if I join in?" Hinata asked.

The girls headed for the dressing room, except for Ayane, who was left dumbfounded. She looked at the bikini again and blushed.

*... Would Itsuki like it if I wore this?* Ayane thought.

Ayane decided to enter the dressing room and went in.

* * *

Back at Akihisa's house, the guys came back in after getting some groceries for Yoshii's trial.

"Did we have to get this much food?" Hideyoshi questioned. "How long is this game anyway?"

"Well, the first time through could take anywhere between 25 to 60 or 70 hours, so you can probably imagine how long a second playthrough might take." Itsuki told him."

"Well, we could've gotten back here earlier if Itsuki didn't stop by the pet store to play with the cats." Akihisa stated.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Just outside the mall's pet store, kittens were lined up against the cage. Itsuki wiggled his finger around through the bars of the cage while the kittens tried to grab onto it with their little paws._

_"Aw, who's a cute little kitty?" Itsuki said in baby-talk. "You are cute little kitties! Yes you are! Yes you-"_

_"Could you stop acting like a queer and get a move on!" Yūji shouted in irritation._

_(End Flashback)_

"I can't help it." Itsuki rebutted. "I love cats. Anyway, Akihisa, we're gonna be taking your laptop."

"Why?" Akihisa asked.

"To make sure you don't go on the Internet while we aren't watching." Itsuki answered.

"Wait, you guys are gonna watch me? !" Akihisa asked.

"No, but Kōta will." Itsuki responded.

Kōta then hung from the ceiling in his Avatar's ninja attire while holding onto a camera.

"The expert of stealth, at your service." Kōta said.

"He'll also keep an eye on you outside your home, so you don't try to look up help on the school computers or an internet café." Itsuki said.

"Isn't this a little harsh?" Hideyoshi questioned.

"It builds character." Itsuki replied.

"Says a guy who doesn't dislikes the outdoors." Yūji commented.

"Hey, that daddy-long-leg was right near my foot!" Itsuki explained. "I hate those things! They're so creepy, like those perverted teachers who sing _I like little girls, they make me feel so good_."

* * *

Back at the mall...

"Does everyone have their swimsuits on?" Minami asked from one of the stalls.

"Do I have to?" Ayane asked from another stall.

"There aren't any guys around, so what's there to be embarrassed about?" Takumi told her from another stall.

"I am also ready." Shōko's voice came from another of the stalls.

"Shōko? When did you get here?" Hinata questioned from another stall.

"I'd like to answer it with the mommy-daddy joke, but it's so old I'm not going to use it." Shōko answered. "I'm here for a swimsuit that will get Yūji's attention."

"I thought the purpose of swimsuits was so we could have waterproof clothing for recreational play." Ayane expressed.

"And that in turn has allowed women to publicly show off their sex appeal... legally." Takumi stated.

"All right, let's check each other out!" Minami said. "I'll go first." Minami then stepped out wearing a dark blue bikini. "How do I look?"

The other girls peeked their heads out of their stalls to check Minami.

"... You need a top that doesn't need to be filled out." Takumi criticized.

"Whatever, you're next, Takumi." Minami stated.

Takumi then came out wearing a light green monokini.

"It's only the second round, yet Minami already got knocked out." Hinata reacted.

"I don't have to take that, you know!" Minami shouted.

"You go next, Shōko." Hinata said.

Shōko then came out of her stall wearing a black bikini that wasn't too revealing or covered too much.

"Wow! If I was gay, I'd totally want to go out with you!" Hinata complimented.

"Thank you, but sadly for you, I am straight." Shōko responded.

"I said IF I was gay." Hinata pointed out. "My turn!"

Hinata then came out wearing a black bikini with cute cat faces provocatively placed on the breast portions.

"Oh my God! You look so cute!" Minami exclaimed, but then noticed that Hinata's breasts were about the same size as Shōko's... maybe even slightly bigger... slightly. "How come all of you have bigger boobs than I do?"

"All right, Ayane, you're up." Takumi said.

Ayane slipped back behind her door and locked it. "No."

"All righty then." Takumi said.

Takumi then slid under the door and a ruckus ensued.

"Hey, what are you doing? !" Ayane asked.

"Just get out there!" Takumi responded as she pushed Ayane out.

Ayane was wearing the revealing dark purple bikini that Takumi picked out.

"HOLY CRAP!" Minami shouted in surprise.

"Your boobs are almost as big as Himeji's!" Hinata exclaimed.

"This is so embarrassing!" Ayane grumbled.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of!" Takumi patted her on the back. "You look amazing! I'm sure any guy would take notice of you!"

"Any guy?" Ayane mumbled as she started to become lost in thought.

_(Begin Daydream)_

_At the school's pool during the summer, Ayane was standing around wearing the bikini when Itsuki walks up to her._

_"Ayane?" Itsuki reacted to seeing her._

_"Hi, Itsuki." Ayane greeted. "How do you think I look?"_

_"I... I don't know what to say..." Itsuki stuttered a bit. "You look perfect."_

_"You think so?" Ayane asked._

_"Absolutely." Itsuki answered._

_The two stare at each other for a moment and then they embrace and start to make out._

_Then the screen fades to black and says 'Since the events that follow cannot be presented here due to content regualtions, you will just have to use your imaginations. We are sorry for the inconvenience'._

_(End Daydream)_

Ayane was staring into space and Minami snapped her fingers in front of her face to snap her out of the trance.

"Huh? ! What? !" Ayane exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" Minami asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm-I'm fine-I'm fine." Ayane replied in a stutter.

"Hey, could you come over here and see if this looks good on me?" Mizuki called out from the dressing rooms.

The girls saw Mizuki wearing the pink bikini she picked out earlier.

"It feels a little tight around my chest, but other than that, it feels okay." Mizuki said. "What are your thoughts?"

There was silence for a moment.

"... You must have had a lot of milk as a kid." Takumi commented. "I guess we know who wins in the breasts department."

"Why are guys so obsessed with breasts, anyway?" Minami questioned. "It's so degrading!"

"Says the girl who's as flat as a cutting board." Takumi stated.

"I read that it is a natural instinct in men because bigger boobs mean that the woman is more fertile." Ayane stated. "Greater fertility, greater chance that babies will be made."

"I heard that in early history, fat women were considered sexually appealing because of that." Hinata said. "Aside from the big breasts, beauty standards have seriously changed over the last few millennia."

"Although in some cases, it's probably for the best." Ayane commented. "We don't want a world filled with Hanakos... She's the fat girl in _Persona 4_... right... not many girls play games..."

* * *

The next day at school in Class F's homeroom, Yoshii's head was sitting on top of his cardboard box. All the guys just looked at him.

"Was the game THAT difficult or did he just stay up late?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I-I think that he just stayed up late." Itsuki expressed.

Minami then walked over to Akihisa.

"Aki..." Minami hushed as she lightly poked Akihisa's shoulder. "Aki..."

"AH, GARGOYLES!" Akihisa shot up awake and shouted.

"Oh, good, he's managed to get that far." Itsuki said.

"How far is that?" Kōta asked.

"Well, judging by his outburst, he's probably on the third boss." Itsuki answered.

"How many bosses are there in that game?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Including the final boss, I think there's like 22 total, but 11 are absolutely required." Itsuki answered. "However, since he's unlikely to figure out how to do that type of play, my guess is he'll have to fight 19 bosses."

"What are you guys talking about?" Minami asked as she came up to them.

"Kaito challenge Yoshii to play a really hard game." Yūji replied. "And he says that it could take around 60 to 70 hours across 19 bosses."

"Hey, I could have included the downloadable content which adds a new area and four new bosses." Itsuki pointed out.

"Why do people have to release that kind of stuff?" Yūji asked.

"Would you rather have it released as another $60 game?" Itsuki questioned.

"... Okay, you win." Yūji responded.

"Why would you do something like that?" Minami questioned. "What if someone wants to go out with him?"

"That 'someone' being you?" Yūji asked.

"Not important." Minami responded. "If that game really is hard, why would you have him play it in the first place?"

"Partially to raise awareness for the upcoming sequel." Itsuki stated.

"They're making a sequel?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Yeah, I mean, the game came out in like the autumn of 2011." Itsuki told them. "The sequel was announced before last Christmas. And I gotta say, it looks awesome so far."

"... What were we talking about again?" Kōta asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Itsuki said. "What did you girls do at the mall yesterday?"

"It's a surprise." Minami told him. "You'll have to wait until summer."

"I just hope this surprise is more like the _Batman: Arkham Asylum_ kind." Itsuki expressed.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Itsuki was looking up an Internet article on his computer._

_"Wow... sounds like it's WAY better than anyone thought it would be." Itsuki said._

_(End Flashback)_

"Wow, you really need to get yourself a girlfriend." Yūji told him.

"I think Hell would freeze over and Yoshii would become an A+ student before any girl would like me." Itsuki responded.

Ayane then comes up to the group.

"Are you really THAT much in denial?" Ayane asked.

"Denial? It's a proven fact." Itsuki told her. "Not once has a girl taken interest in me."

"What about Hinata? That girl I fought during the ST War a few weeks ago?" Ayane questioned.

"What made you so sure she wasn't just pretending?" Itsuki questioned.

"Y... Y... How could you think like that? !" Ayane started to rant. "Why wouldn't a girl like you? ! You're smart and you actually give a crap about people's feelings! Any girl would be lucky to have you! So stop telling yourself that girls don't like you because such girls exist!"

"... Wow... I didn't think I'd hear that from your mouth, Ayane." Itsuki expressed. "Wait, what makes you so sure that girls like that exist?"

"G-G... Just look in the right place." Ayane simply said before walking back to her seat.

"Just be glad that any girl you'd get... I hope she's not like Shōko." Yūji stated. "I mean, I might want to go out with her if she wasn't such a psychopath."

"Are you saying you like Shōko?" Itsuki asked.

"N-No." Yūji responded.

"You... You kind of hesitated just now." Itsuki pointed out.

"No, I didn't." Yūji said.

"Yeah, you did." Itsuki said.

"No, I didn't."

"Yeah, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yeah, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"No, you didn't." Itsuki said.

"Yeah, I did." Yūji said, then realizing what he just said. "Aw, shit. I can't believe I fell for that."

"You know, if I had a stalker like you did, I'd want her to be Mizore from _Rosario+Vampire_." Itsuki expressed.

Meanwhile, the door to the room was open a crack and Hinata was peeking through that crack.

* * *

At a later point, Akihisa was playing the game, his eyes completely fixated on the screen. The other guys were there, too.

"... How long has he been at this?" Yūji asked.

"Let's see? What day is it today?" Itsuki asked.

"I think it's Wednesday." Hideyoshi answered.

"Yeah, 10 days." Itsuki stated.

"I've been keeping an eye on Yoshii play that game since the beginning and I got to say, he died a lot." Kōta told them.

"Kōta, there's something you need to know about games." Itsuki lectured. "There are times where death is merely a slap on the wrist, which is what most of the American companies believe. Then there are games like Dark Souls where death isn't a roadblock; it's education."

"Then completing that game is hopeless." Yūji said. "Yoshii sucks at education."

"No, this type of learning is understanding your mistakes, knowing what went wrong and taking advantage of whatever few bones the game is willing to give you." Itsuki told them. "It appears he's learning from just that. Actually, he managed to finish the first playthrough."

The other three guys gasped.

"How much farther does he have to go?" Hideyoshi asked.

"By the look of things, he's only got a handful of bosses left." Itsuki answered.

"If I may change the subject, why do you think girls don't like you, Itsuki?" Hideyoshi inquired.

"I don't think anyone really cares." Itsuki said.

"... Yeah, we do." Hideyoshi said. "Just tell us. You're among friends."

"Fine." Itsuki said. "Like most boys at a young age, I wasn't really interested in girls. You know, for the youth reasons, not the gay reasons. When I turned 12, that's probably when I started becoming interested and developed crushes. But the girls weren't interested, so here I am."

"... So, the reason you think girls aren't attracted to you is because you got crushed by your crushes in middle school?" Yūji questioned. "And it's that way of thinking that makes you think Hinata was pretending to like you as a prank?"

"Well, you make it sound like a nonsensical reason from which I won't be swayed, but basically yeah." Itsuki replied.

"I think you're taking reality too harshly." Yūji told him. "Yeah, real life sucks sometimes, but it's not all bad. I mean, both Shimada and Himeji like Yoshii, but he completely denies it even though the facts are right there in front of him. It's one of the reasons why we call him an idiot."

"Have people told him that straight to his face?" Itsuki asked.

"No, but the hints aren't very subtle." Yūji stated.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Akihisa was walking through the hall and found a notebook with Mizuki's name on it and picks it up._

_"What's this? Himeji's notebook?" Akihisa wondered._

_He then opens it up and in some of the complicated math notes, he sees a little picture of an umbrella with the names 'Mizuki' and 'Yoshii' on it._

_"... She probably means the Yoshi from Mario." Akihisa said._

_(End Flashback)_

"... Wow. That is serious denial." Itsuki responded.

"Look who's talking." Kōta pointed out.

* * *

Later that night, Itsuki was asleep in his bed and then stirring from his slumber a bit.

*Damn it, I have to take a piss.* Itsuki thought.

Itsuki then proceeded to sit up in his bed, but he felt something cradling his arm. He looked next to him and was shocked to see Hinata, awake and wearing star pajamas, holding onto his arm. She simply casually grinned and giggled while Itsuki's eyes widened.

*... Please tell me I'm dreaming.* Itsuki thought.

_(To be continued...)_

"Wait, really? !" Itsuki asked. "We have to resolve this next time? ! Damn these time constraints! Those things are responsible for cutting important or funny scenes from sitcoms! I hope this isn't like how in the anime, Minami kissed Yoshii and then that didn't get resolved until like an episode or two later... I probably should have said 'spoiler alert' before I said that last statement. Especially since this alternate fanfic is currently long before those events."

* * *

The screen is black, then Itsuki appears and looks at the readers.

"Hi, I'm Itsuki Kaito." Itsuki greeted. "This chapter was partially created to bring about awareness of Dark Soul in preparation for the sequel _Dark Souls II_. Namco, the publisher of the game, should be grateful that they're getting free publicity... Maybe they should owe spiralgamer... Maybe pay him enough to afford that cave in the yard so he can tell people not to go in there."

_(Begin Daydream)_

_Outside a house was a cave and two children were playing near it. spiralgamer then comes out of his house._

_"Hey, you kids! Stay away from that cave! You don't know what's in there!" spiralgamer yelled at the kids._

_The kids then ran away._

_spiralgamer sighs in satisfaction. "Money well spent."_


	6. Chapter 6: Crush or Love?

**Hello, readers. I've been on a bit of a roll with my other story and I've been trying to be creative with the jokes and scenarios in this story. I feel I should also point out that this chapter is a bit more risqué than the other chapters I've done, but nothing a Baka and Test fan isn't used to by this point already. Anyway, please enjoy and review.**

* * *

Itsuki just stared at Hinata, completely dumbfounded by what was happening right now. Itsuki was about to scream/yell, but Hinata quickly put her hand over his mouth so no one could hear.

"ssshhh..." Hinata tried to hush him.

"What are you doing in my bedroom while I was sleeping?" Itsuki asked in a whisper. "How'd you even get in here anyway?"

"You left your window unlocked." Hinata answered, whispering.

"So you let yourself in?" Itsuki questioned. "Are you mad?"

"Um... well..." Hinata hesitated a bit. "I'm... come on, Hinata... you can do this... just tell him..."

"Tell me what?" Itsuki asked. "That this was a joke? That you have some sort of psychological disorder?"

"No, nothing like that." Hinata told him. "I... Itsuki... I'm madly in love with you..."

Itsuki remained silent for a moment to process this.

"So it IS a joke." Itsuki spoke up. "I knew it all along."

"This is not a joke." Hinata stated. "I really do have feelings for you. Strong... passionate feelings that apparently drove me to watch your every move."

"... That totally freaks me out." Itsuki told her.

"Well, I rarely get to see you." Hinata said. "We were in different classrooms our first year and this year you ended up in Class F."

"Is this going to be like what John Hinckley did with Jodie Foster?" Itsuki asked. "Please tell me you don't have plans to kill the president of the US... or the governor of Japan."

"No, I wouldn't dare do any of those things." Hinata responded.

"Good." Itsuki sighed with relief. "Good. Wait, why is it that you like me in the first place?"

"When I first saw you, I think I was attracted to you because of your pheromones." Hinata answered. "But as I observed your day-to-day actions, seeing you for the kind, caring and thoughtful soul you had, my affections eventually started to become much deeper than a simple crush. I realized that it was love."

"... I have pheromones?" Itsuki asked.

"Listen, promise me that you won't tell anyone and I'll leave right now and I'll never do anything like this again." Hinata said.

"Well, I guess I'll let it slide so long as you won't do it again." Itsuki said. "I'm just glad I didn't get raped."

"At least I'm not like Shōko." Hinata said. "She breaks into Yūji's house, looms over his bed and plays with herself while he's sleeping."

"... That's really creepy." Itsuki responded.

Hinata then noticed something on Itsuki's desk. It was a stack of papers with words written on it.

"What's this? Are you writing a novel?" Hinata asked.

Itsuki quickly got out of his bed and swiped the paper's away from Hinata.

"DON'T LOOK AT THEM!" Itsuki shouted.

Hinata didn't respond, instead she was looking downward and her face was completely red. Itsuki looked down.

"AH!" Itsuki screamed as he quickly took the papers he had in his hand and covered his private area. "Don't look!"

* * *

The next day at school after classes, Itsuki was sitting at a small table playing cards with Akihisa, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi.

"So, you finally managed to do it, huh?" Yūji said. "Yoshii managed to do something not even Kaito could do. You actually beat that game twice."

"Yep, and I feel like an unstoppable badass now!" Akihisa said as he pumped his fist. "Hey, Kaito, you should be happy for me. Is everything all right?"

"Huh?" Itsuki reacted. "Oh, sorry, I just have something on my mind right now. Just had a crazy night."

"Were you unable to sleep?" Akihisa asked. "I hate it when that happens."

_(Begin Flashback)_

_One night, Akihisa was lying in his bed and trying to fall asleep, but to no avail._

_"uh... nyah... ah... Dammit! Why can't I get to sleep? ! Go to sleep already, damn you!"_

_(End Flashback)_

"Eh, something like that." Itsuki told him.

"Oh, I just came up with a good question." Akihisa said. "Who would you rather sleep with: Erza Scarlet from _Fairy Tail_ or Lightning from _Final Fantasy_?"

"Damn it!" Kōta muttered. "That's like choosing between who'll die between you and your family!"

"That... That's just dark, Kōta." Hideyoshi stated. "And ridiculous, I might add."

"To be frank, I don't care about either of them." Yūji said in a suspicious monotone voice.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Itsuki asked.

"Oh, it's just that I'm afraid if I answer questions like that and Shōko's not involved in that answer, she'll appear out of nowhere and taze me." Yūji answered.

"Yūji, I think there's a big on your neck." Akihisa pointed out.

Akihisa walked behind Yūji and looked at his neck. There was a mechanical bug-like thing clinging to his neck and a red light flashed on its back.

"Well, you got a bug, but I don't think there's anything I can do about it." Akihisa said as he sat back where he was sitting.

"Can we please not ask questions involving sex?" Itsuki asked.

"We're teenage guys." Akihisa replied. "Sex is pretty much all we have on our minds right now."

The doors to the classroom then opened and Hinata entered. Itsuki turned his head away and blushed a bit.

"Hinata, what brings you here?" Yūji asked.

"I'm here to talk to Itsuki." Hinata replied.

"Wait..." Yūji said as he looked at Itsuki. "Turned head... blushing... you had a crazy night... sensitive to the topic of sex... You had an affair with Hinata last night, didn't you?"

"NO! NOTHING LIKE THAT!" Itsuki yelled.

"Then why are you blushing?" Akihisa questioned.

"That's it! If any of you guys continue pestering me about this, I will, without your knowledge at an unknown time and place, slip you all some of Himeji's cooking!" Itsuki threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!" Akihisa shouted.

"TRY ME!" Itsuki shouted in response.

The guys remained quiet and continued their card game.

"So, what was it we were talking about again?" Akihisa asked the guys.

Itsuki then walked outside the classroom with Hinata.

"I didn't tell them anything, I swear." Itsuki said.

"It's okay." Hinata responded. "Nothing really happened anyway. Although... you are my first naked guy."

"Could we just forget about it?" Itsuki asked.

"What do you have to be ashamed of?" Hinata questioned. "You don't have a bad body. You just don't give yourself enough credit where it's due."

"I don't know about that." Itsuki responded.

"Oh!" Hinata exclaimed as she lightly tapped her hand with her fist as if she had an idea. "I have an idea! Why don't you come over to my place later tonight?"

"Are you sure?" Itsuki asked. "Will your parents be okay with that?"

"Luckily, my parents are on vacation this week, so I have the house all to myself." Hinata told him.

"Well... I guess it'd be okay." Itsuki said.

"All right, I'll see you tonight then." Hinata said as she left.

"I wonder what she has on her mind?" Itsuki wondered to himself.

Itsuki went back into the classroom and saw that Mizuki, Minami and Takumi were sitting at the table with the guys now.

"When did you girls get here?" Itsuki questioned.

"We just got here." Minami answered.

"So, what was it you and Hinata were talking about outside?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Nothing important." Itsuki answered.

"She's a nice girl, isn't she?" Mizuki said. "Whoever ends up with her will be one lucky guy. And I'm sure whoever ends up with Yoshii will feel the same."

"That's nice of you to say, Himeji, but I don't-" Akihisa was about to say.

"DEATH TO THE TRAITOR!" The whole FFF Inquisition flooded through the doors, grabbed Yoshii and dragged him away.

"NOOOOOO!" Akihisa screamed in terror as he got dragged off.

They passed Ayane, who had just entered the classroom.

"Who are those guys?" Ayane asked.

"They're the FFF Inquisition." Itsuki answered. "They're a bunch of guys who can't seem to attract girls and penalize any guy, be they a member or not, who gets attention from girls."

"Let me guess, you're a member, too, Itsuki?" Ayane questioned.

"Eh, you got me there." Itsuki responded.

"Anyway, I think Hinata's pretty cute, don't you think so too Kaito?" Takumi asked.

"Wha-why are you asking me?" Itsuki asked.

"Come on! Do you think she's cute or not?" Takumi pretty much demanded an answer.

"Well..." Itsuki kind of blushed for a moment. "She is pretty cute."

Ayane clenched her fist and teeth.

"Hm, what's wrong Ayane?" Itsuki asked as he turned to Ayane.

"Nothing." Ayane replied in an angry tone.

"Uh, hey! How about we talk about something else?" Mizuki suggested. "Like who do you think is the manliest guy at school."

"That's easy." Takumi responded. "Hideyoshi!"

Everyone remained silent, confused by Takumi's response.

"... Hideyoshi's a girl." Minami told her.

"How many times do I have to tell people I'm not a girl? !" Hideyoshi questioned in exasperation.

"Hideyoshi's totally not a girl." Takumi stated. "Can't you see the manliness emanating from him?"

Everyone looked at Hideyoshi to check for any manly features.

"... I'm sorry." Itsuki spoke up. "I know Hideyoshi is a guy, but I just don't see ANYthing manly about him. But I don't really mind. Oh, which reminds me. Most of the Inquisition members are Hideyoshi fans."

"... That's just weird." Yūji reacted.

"Not as weird as the cartoons they have in America nowadays." Itsuki commented. "Seriously, they try to be so out there, it doesn't come off as funny at all. In fact, just advertising that shit drives viewers away from their networks... Well, at least some people."

* * *

Later that night, Itsuki was standing in front of the front door to Hinata's house.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Hinata, it's me!" Itsuki called out.

"Just one minute!" Hinata called from inside the house.

Itsuki didn't wait long for the door to open. When Hinata could be seen, Itsuki noticed she was wearing a bathrobe.

"Just finish taking a bath?" Itsuki asked. "Sorry if I rushed you."

"No, it's fine." Hinata told him. "I was actually done drying myself by the time."

"What was it you wanted me over for?" Itsuki asked.

"I thought you should know more about me." Hinata answered.

Hinata led Itsuki down a hallway to one of the doors.

"This is my room." Hinata stated as she opened the door.

The interior of her room wasn't that much different than a typical girls room. The only exception being a shelf filled with books and DVD sets.

"Yeah, I'm a big fan of anime and manga." Hinata expressed.

"Wow, you have everything." Itsuki said as he looked at the shelf. "Even I don't have this much stuff. Hell, you've got a bit of everything. From action shonen to romance to slice of life... you even have ecchi?"

"Even girls have their needs." Hinata replied. "I'm sure you have thoughts like that."

"I guess so." Itsuki kind of looked away a bit.

"What do you think about?" Hinata asked.

"Huh?" Itsuki seemed confused.

"What do you think about when you feel, um... aroused?" Hinata clarified her question. "Don't be shy. I promise not to tell anyone. And I won't mind if it's not a real person. There are plenty of characters that girls find sexually appealing and think about.""

"Well... you promise not to tell?" Itsuki asked.

"I promise." Hinata answered.

"Okay..." Itsuki started blushing. "I, uh... occasionally fantasize about... doing it with... Chun Li."

"Chun Li as in _Street Fighter_?" Hinata questioned.

"Yeah." Itsuki said. "I'm not a fan of cops because most of the time in fiction they come off as jackasses, but Chun Li just feels different. I find her sexy both physically and emotionally. I also think that having Laura Bailey voice her in English might be a part of it as well."

"Is she the kind of girl your attracted to?" Hinata asked.

"I'm actually attracted to both Laura Bailey and Chun Li, but there's no way I could end up with either of them even though only one of them exists." Itsuki said. "But if you want to know what kind of girl I'm attracted to... I like girls who are nice, caring, cute-Actually, this is Japan so almost every girl is cute-"

"What about physical appearances?" Hinata asked. "Like... breast size?"

"I will admit that I like breasts like any other guy, I don't find them THAT important." Itsuki answered. "Speaking of which, I don't want a girl who values a man by his looks."

Hinata's eyes lit up like a cluster of stars.

"I'm not the type of guy who just goes for any hot woman." Itsuki stated. "What matters most is her personality. It also helps if we share a common interest or two. That way there is always something to talk about."

"... Itsuki..." Hinata spoke up. "There was another reason I invited you here."

"What was that?" Itsuki inquired.

"Remember how last night, I saw you naked?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, yeah... I wish I could forget that..." Itsuki grumbled.

"I'm actually very glad I saw what you look like without your clothes." Hinata smiled and stood up. "Some say that when you see someone naked, you see who they really are. And to me, what I saw was a wonderful thing of beauty."

"You praise me too much." Itsuki responded. "My body is average."

"That doesn't matter to me." Hinata said, blushing.

Hinata then started fiddling with her bathrobe.

"I think it's only fair that..." Hinata said as she continued to blush. "You see me naked, too."

Hinata removed the bathrobe and let it fall onto the floor. Itsuki furiously blushed and looked away while covering his eyes with his hands.

"I'm sorry, but I'm a gentleman." Itsuki said. "I just can't, even if you want me to."

Hinata then walked over to Itsuki. "Itsuki, Itsuki, Itsuki..."

Itsuki calmed down a bit and Hinata began to embrace Itsuki, who was blushing furiously from it.

"It's okay..." Hinata said in a calming voice then put her face in front of Itsuki's face. "Look into my eyes."

Itsuki opened his eyes and met Hinata eye-to-eye. He couldn't help but find himself bewitched by her eyes.

*What is this I'm feeling?* Itsuki thought. *Is this because she's naked and hugging me?*

_"She's a nice girl, isn't she? Whoever ends up with her will be one lucky guy."_ Himeji's voice rang through his head.

*Wait... am I... falling in love with...* Itsuki continued to think. *Is this just an fleeting attraction? No, it's not just her body... it's her in general...*

"Itsuki..." Hinata walked back a bit so Itsuki could look at her body. "This is who I am. And if there's only one person I could share it with, I'm glad it's you. I love you, Itsuki Kaito."

"I... I don't know what to say..." Itsuki said as he looked at Hinata. "I... I-."

Itsuki's phone then went off, alerting him of a text message. He saw the name of the sender was 'Ayane'.

"... Hinata..." Itsuki spoke up. "Listen, I won't deny that you are a great girl and any guy would be lucky to have you."

"I... Itsuki..." Hinata started to tear up and put her bathrobe back on. "Are... are you saying you don't love me back?"

"... To be honest, I don't know." Itsuki responded. "Right now, I just feel a massive torrent of emotions. There's probably a chance that I do love you, but I need time to sort this all out. I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk to me again, that's fine. I wouldn't be surprised. Especially after you just poured your heart out. I know how that feels far to often. I've had several crushes in the past that didn't turn out so well and I just want to make sure what I'm feeling right now is indeed love. There's also another matter I'm not sure about. Are you okay with that?"

Hinata remained silent, looking down for a bit.

"... Itsuki..." Hinata muttered. "... You know, I just realized something... I think I'll just be glad by spending time with me... although if you do fall in love with me, well, that will be the happiest day of my life... Honestly, the primary reason I showed you my naked body was so we could be even."

"I probably sound like a douchebag right now." Itsuki stated. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. Honesty can hurt sometimes, but I can't help but be obligated to speak the truth. That's just who I am."

"You know what? You at least care about my feelings." Hinata said. "That's good enough for me. That's what makes you such a great guy, Itsuki. You care about the feelings of others. You always want to know what others want."

"Thank you, Hinata." Itsuki said as he left Hinata's house. "I better get going. My grandfather might get worried about me."

As he was walking outside, Itsuki muttered something to himself.

"Heh, everyone except me." Itsuki said. "I guess I want to make others happy so much, it interferes with what I want. In the case of love, it might outright confuse me to no end. When I got that text from Ayane, something happened to me. What's going on with me? I seriously need time to sort all of this out."

* * *

Later, Itsuki was lying on his bed trying to think.

*Walking usually helps me think.* Itsuki thought. *But I'm just as confused as I was earlier. I felt incredibly intense feelings around Hinata, but when Ayane sent that text... what was that feeling again? For some reason, I felt like I was thinking 'don't do this' and 'are you sure you love her'. What's happening to me? Maybe I should ask my shrink the next time I see him. He might be able to provide me with some answers.*

* * *

The next morning, Itsuki came into the Class F homeroom.

"Hey, Kaito, how's it going?" Akihisa greeted him.

"Oh, hey Yoshii." Itsuki replied. "I've just felt so confused lately."

"Yeah, I get that all the time when I take a test." Akihisa stated.

"I think that might be a different type of confusion." Itsuki commented.

Itsuki sat at his desk, Ayane sitting in the seat right next to him.

"Hi, Itsuki." Ayane said.

"Hi, Ayane." Itsuki said back. "Ayane, I have... something a bit personal to ask you later."

"Why later?" Ayane asked.

"I don't feel like I want the others to hear this." Itsuki answered. "Which tends to be difficult since people have a habit to listen to things that don't concern them in the slightest."

Then they heard some boys whispering.

"Hey, have you heard about-"

"Shh, I'm trying to hear the conversation between this guy and girl."

"Like that." Itsuki said.

* * *

After classes, Itsuki and Ayane met at a fountain over by the park.

"What did you want to talk about, Itsuki?" Ayane asked.

"... I wanted... to ask what you know about love." Itsuki said.

Ayane started to blush. *Oh my God! Is he...*

"You remember how the other day I said that no girl could like me?" Itsuki reminded. "Well, I realized that I was only using that excuse as a defense mechanism. I didn't want to have a crush on someone and get my heart broken again."

"Itsuki..." Ayane muttered.

"And something happened to me last night." Itsuki continued. "I'm just not sure of anything right now."

"Not sure about what?" Ayane asked.

"... About love." Itsuki answered. "I've had so many crushes that I can't tell the difference between it and love."

"Itsuki..." Ayane placed her hand on top of Itsuki's hand. "You'll know what love is when it happens. A crush is simply fleeting, but when you're in love, it's when you're thinking about the person to the point where they're your very thoughts and cravings. Crushes only last for so long, but love is eternal. Now when it happens to you, you'll know it's love."

"Wow, Ayane... that was beautiful." Itsuki said. "You said that like you know from experience."

"Hey, are you insinuating something? !" Ayane asked in a panic.

"Why are you so panicky all of a sudden?" Itsuki questioned.

"Dah!" Ayane stuttered. "I just remembered, there's something important I have to do back at home! Bye!"

Ayane ran off in a flash.

"..." Itsuki simply remained silent.

* * *

While that was going on, Akihisa was busy preparing his meal for the next month which was a cup of ramen noodles cut up into 64 pieces.

"There, that ought to do it." Akihisa said to himself. "I am a genius! Cutting up my food into 1/67 is a brilliant idea to save food AND money!"

The doorbell then rang.

"Coming!" Akihisa called out.

Akihisa then opened the door and an incredibly sexy woman was standing in front of his door.

"Hi, what's up?" The woman greeted him.

SLAM!

Akihisa slammed the door shut and slumped against the door in despair.

"Crap... my sister..." Akihisa muttered.

* * *

Ayane ran back to her apartment and closed the door. She was panting from all the running she did and fell to the floor. Ayane went in the bathroom and started her bath, then walked into her bedroom and looked at the area of the floor where she and Itsuki had that embarrassing encounter back in Chapter 2.

*Itsuki..." Ayane thought. *If only I could muster up the courage to tell you how I feel about you. I've never been interested in anyone before. I thought love was something that wouldn't matter to me. However, after you came into my life, everything changed. You are the first person to ever make me feel this way. My love for you is so strong, words cannot even begin to describe it. I want to be your girlfriend. I want you to take my virginity. I want to be your wife. I want to have your baby. I want us to grow old and die together. I can't imagine my life without you, Itsuki.*

Ayane took off her clothes and entered the bath.

"Oh... Itsuki..." Ayane muttered. "You're so kind and caring and smart and funny. I hope you love me the same way I love you... I can't think of anything else that could make me happier than that... If I'm going to get Itsuki before Hinata does, I'll have to act fast and tell him how I feel... I won't let her beat me to the punch. I won't let anyone beat me to him. NOBODY... Maybe I'll tell him during the summer... that way my fantasy back at the mall can come true... although I'd want us to make love back at either of our places than at the school pool..."

* * *

Back on Ayane's bed where she left her clothes, a purple envelope was sticking out of one of the pockets. It almost looked like a love letter.

*I probably won't need to slip him that love letter anymore.* Ayane thought. *If I'm going to tell him my feelings, I'm going to do it in person. That'll show him just how much I care and increase my chances of becoming his girlfriend. I WILL be with Itsuki, no matter what!*


	7. Chapter 7: Dirty Laundry

**Hello, readers! Sorry this took longer than expected. I was kind of on a roll with my other story and there have been some things around that caught my attention. Also, I would like to point out that there is a Justin Beiber joke later in the chapter and that I got this joke from someone or something else, probably heard it from my friend lordsoftheRoses. Anyway, I hope the wait was worth it. Enjoy and review.**

* * *

Itsuki and Akihisa were at the local movie theater in a local mall.

"Man, I so need some time to relax." Akihisa said. "It's been so stressful at home lately. Thanks for paying for this."

"Well, you don't have a job yet, so I figured I'd be able to help you until you get one." Itsuki stated.

"Come on, let's find our seats." Akihisa said as the two walked to their seats. "I don't want to miss the movie trivia slides before the movie."

"Yoshii, those things are the easiest, most pandering things in the world." Itsuki told him.

"Shh, quiet, they're starting." Akihisa shushed him.

The first question was 'Name this famous Japanese voice actor: D_S_K_ _N_'.

"... Ooh! DOUSAKA UNE! DOUSAKA UNE! Famous voice actor! I win!" Akihisa exclaimed.

The answer revealed itself as 'DAISUKE ONO' with a picture of Daisuke Ono right next to the answer.

"... Who?" Akihisa seemed confused.

The next trivia question was 'Name the director of _Transformer_ directed by Michael Bay'.

"... ****!" Akihisa responded. "Do they have any questions for people who are NOT Hollywood insiders? Geez!"

The next question was 'Who's that Pokémon?' with a completely darkened circle next to the question.

"Oh, Voltorb!" Itsuki guessed assuredly.

The answer was a Jigglypuff seen from above.

"... ****." Itsuki said.

* * *

The previews were about to start and Itsuki and Akihisa were still sitting in their seats.

"Well, since it's gonna take about a half hour to get through these anyway I might as well ask." Itsuki said.

"Why would you want to talk during the previews?" Akihisa asked.

"If you came to see _Iron Man 3_, would you really want to see a preview about some mediocre romantic comedy?" Itsuki questioned.

"... Okay, what was it you wanted to ask?" Akihisa inquired.

"Why has it been so stressful at home for you?" Itsuki asked.

Akihisa sighed. "My sister came."

"... Is she a bitch?" Itsuki asked.

"No... well, maybe." Akihisa answered. "She just freaks me out to no end."

"What does she do?" Itsuki asked.

"... You seriously don't wanna know." Akihisa told him.

"Well, we got about 25 minutes until the movie starts." Itsuki stated. "What else should we do? Text?"

"I managed to sneak in a little something..." Akihisa mischievously whispered as he pulled out a bottle of Mountain Dew out of his shirt.

"You snuck in pop?" Itsuki asked.

"Yeah, I mean why pay 500 yen for something I can get at a gas station or convenience store for 200?" Akihisa responded. "Want some? I snuck in plenty."

"Sure, I'll have a go at it." Itsuki said as Akihisa handed him a bottle of pop. "Smart thinking. Movie theaters always have ludicrously-priced snacks. I wouldn't be surprised if churros, a box of candy and a soda cost almost 4,000 yen."

* * *

While the movie was playing, Akihisa and Itsuki were so hopped up on soda that they were being incredibly fidgety in their seats.

"Hey, let's talk some other movies we've seen!" Akihisa shouted.

"Ooh, I like that!" Itsuki shouted as well.

"Shut up!" A guy in the audience yelled.

"Hey, I'm not the only one talking!" Akihisa hyperactively argued. "That guy up there has been talking the while movie! Hey, you shut up!"

"I-I don't think he's listening to you." Itsuki said. "Let's get him!"

Akihisa and Itsuki walked up to the front of the screen where the movie was being played.

"All right, Robert Downey, Jr., you asked for it!" Akihisa exclaimed.

Yoshii then punches the screen, tears through it and falls over on the other side of the screen.

"Itsuki, I think I'm in Narnia!" Akihisa shouted.

* * *

Akihisa and Itsuki were then locked up in the mall's prison.

"Why'd they have to lock us up in here?" Akihisa asked.

"Because we were creating a public disturbance and brought in outside drinks." Itsuki answered. "And the worst part of it is that we can't go in that theater ever again AND we missed the rest of _Iron Man 3_."

"So they have to throw us in here?" Akihisa questioned. "It's not like what happened in Colorado when that Batman movie came out!"

"Yoshii, we were able to call our guardians." Itsuki pointed out. "Looks like your sister came at just the right time."

"Whatever..." Akihisa responded. "It was your fault she came anyway."

"How was it MY fault?" Itsuki asked.

"Because you dared me to play that game non-stop!" Akihisa stated.

"... Oh..." Itsuki simply responded. "But I'm still the guy who's helping you get a job!"

One of the mall cops then came by the cell they were in.

"Akihisa Yoshii, you're free to go." The cop said as he opened the cell.

"I swear, Aki, I never figured you for the bad boy type." A woman's voice said as a woman walked up to Yoshii.

"Oh, hey, Sis." Akihisa greeted her.

"Wait, this is your sister? !" Itsuki was surprised.

Itsuki could not believe that Yoshii's sister was such a sexy young woman.

"My name is Akira Yoshii." She introduced her self. "Is this one of your friends, Aki?"

"Yeah." Akihisa nodded.

Akira then looked intently at Itsuki, which made him feel uncomfortable.

"Hm..." Akira said. "You're not as cute as Aki, but I'm sure that there are plenty of girls that have their eyes on you."

"Where did THAT come from?" Itsuki questioned.

"Come on, Aki, let's go." Akira said to her brother.

"I don't know, sis." Akihisa responded. "This is the only world I know anymore."

"Akihisa, we've only been in here for 15 minutes." Itsuki stated.

Akihisa then hung himself from the prison ceiling on a noose made of rope.

"Did he really just-" Akira was about to ask.

"No, it's a just joke." Itsuki told her.

* * *

The next day when Akihisa arrived to class, Yūji was the first to greet him.

"Hey, Yoshii." Yūji said. "How was your time in prison?"

"Bite me, Yūji." Akihisa replied.

"So, I heard that something unbelievable has just occurred involving you." Yūji stated.

"Who told you?" Akihisa asked.

"Kaito, why?" Yūji asked.

Akihisa then walked away and up to Itsuki.

"Did you tell everyone about my you-know-what? !" Akihisa growled at Itsuki.

"I just said that something unbelievable happened involving you." Itsuki answered. "I never said what it actually was."

"Yes, but simply hinting at it will make people suspicious!" Akihisa grunted with his teeth clenched.

"Actually, what's even more suspicious is that you look like you're ready to learn for a change." Itsuki pointed out. "The notebook in you're hand... and the weird headband."

Itsuki pointed to a headband that Akihisa was wearing.

"Why the sudden interest in studying?" Minami asked as she and Mizuki walked up to them.

"You're acting a little strange today." Mizuki stated.

"Really?" Akihisa said.

"Why the sudden change?" Ayane asked as she overheard their conversation.

"Just leave it to your imagination." Akihisa replied. "And how long have you been hearing?"

"I heard everything." Ayane answered.

Minami and Mizuki thought about it for a moment and then they started to tear up.

"Why do the good ones always play for the other team? !" Minami cried.

"Now I refuse to believe this!" Mizuki cried.

Then for some reason, Toshimitsu Kubo appeared and was sobbing. "I'll never forgive you!"

"Why are you here?" Itsuki asked Kubo.

"Speaking of weird, why did you text me asking if you could stay at my house?" Yūji asked as he came up.

"Um... Mid-terms!" Akihisa said. "I thought it would be easier to study in a group!"

"Wouldn't it be more interesting if you studied with someone of the opposite sex?" Ayane asked, glancing at Itsuki.

"Anyway, I think we SHOULD do it." Yūji said. "At your place, Yoshii."

Akihisa felt like the pressure around him greatly intensified.

"No! No! No! Not my place! Today's no good!" Akihisa panicked. "It's not good! Not good at all!"

"Oh yeah, he's hiding something." Hideyoshi said.

"Yeah, just like how pirates did back in their Golden Age." Itsuki commented.

_(Begin Skit)_

_A band of pirates were standing on a beach and had just finished burying their treasure._

_"All right, boys." The captain said. "Now we put the X right over the hole."_

_"Wouldn't that be a little too easy or obvious?" One of the pirates asked._

_"That's it! Walk the plank!" The captain yelled._

_The other pirates picked up the one that didn't keep his mouth shut and threw him off a cliff. The guy fell into a shark's mouth and the other sharks started to tear the guy limb from limb._

_(End Skit)_

* * *

Akihisa, Mizuki, Minami, Yūji, Hideyoshi, Itsuki, Ayane and Kōta arrived at Akihisa's place.

"I wonder what Yoshii might be hiding." Hideyoshi expressed.

"Probably a secret girlfriend." Kōta guessed.

Minami then pulled Akihisa by the ear. "Is this true, Aki? !"

"Now come on, Minami." Mizuki said with a smile that strangely had a hint of evil intent behind it. "Yoshii knows better than to date someone behind our backs." Mizuki's eyes then became thin, sinister slits. "Isn't that right, Yoshii?"

"Why are you squinting?" Akihisa asked.

"And why are you talking like he's dating the both of you?" Itsuki questioned before looking at the readers. "Note: In real life, men aren't allowed to question women. For reasons I still have yet to understand."

They finally arrived at Yoshii's place.

"Time to find out what's going on." Yūji said. "All right, Akihisa, open the door."

"Yes, Yoshii, open the door." Mizuki said with the evil squint still in her eyes.

Akihisa opened the door.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Akihisa screamed as he covered up his eyes as if he'd seen something horrendous. "THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW AWFUL THIS IS!"

There were clothes lines hanging from the walls with robes and women's lingerie hanging from them.

"I think we know what this is." Minami said angrily.

"I'm so jealous, I could kill him." Kōta said.

"This is not a very good thing, Yoshii." Mizuki said with an evil aura emanating from every fiber of her being. "You bought a bra size that could never fit you. A smaller cup would be better."

"... She's refusing to face it." Everyone said at once.

Then they see a cotton pad on the living room table.

"What's that?" Minami asked.

"It looks like a cotton pad for makeup." Hideyoshi guessed.

"Wrong." Mizuki said with the evil aura still around her. "It looks like a rice cake."

"... Seriously?" Itsuki questioned Mizuki's denial.

"Hey, I found something over here!" Kōta called out from the kitchen.

There was a boxed lunch with a pink handkerchief underneath.

"Huh? That totally looks like something a chick would eat." Yūji said.

Mizuki then dropped to her knees and started to cry.

"Are you all right, Himeji?" Akihisa asked in concern.

"I can't deny this anymore!" Mizuki cried.

"Hello." Yoshii's sister appeared from the hallway. "I see we have company."

"An older woman?" Mizuki gasped.

"With huge boobs? !" Minami gasped.

"How could you do this, Yoshii? !" Mizuki cried.

"You're tearing out my heart!" Minami also cried.

"Uh... I don't even know what you're saying right now." Akihisa responded.

"Just tell them already, Akihisa." Itsuki said.

"All right." Akihisa sighed. "Everyone, this is my older sister, Akira."

"Your sister? !" Everyone else gasped.

"Yes, I'm Akihisa's older sister." Akira confirmed. "It's nice to meet the friends of my stupid idiot brother."

* * *

Everyone sat down at a table.

"I'm Yūji Sakamoto."

"I'm Kōta Tsuchiya."

"I'm Hideyoshi Kinoshita. And people keep assuming that I'm a girl."

"You can't be a girl." Akira said.

"Really?" Hideyoshi was surprised. "You're the first person to get that!"

"Well, of course!" Akira said as if something was obvious. "There's no way my stupid, ugly, idiot brother could get girls to be his friend."

"Actually, I'm with him." Ayane pointed out as she pointed to Itsuki.

"Okay, though the rest of you are strange-looking boys." Akira motioned to Minami and Mizuki.

"Stop being rude! The four of them are girls!" Akihisa yelled.

"I'm a guy!" Hideyoshi shouted.

Akira then glared at Akihisa. "So you bring girls over here now? Minus 1,000 points."

"What the hell? !" Akihisa shouted.

"Do you have anyone like this back at your place, Itsuki?" Ayane whispered to Itsuki.

"No, thank God." Itsuki answered with a whisper.

"I heard that!" Akira stated.

"Maybe tomorrow I can check out your place." Ayane whispered.

"Yeah, that's fine." Itsuki whispered back.

"Let's see some embarrassing photos of Akihisa." Akira said.

"NO! Anything but THOSE!" Akihisa yelled in protest.

* * *

After a bit of dinner, everyone was in Akihisa's room.

"All right." Akihisa said with a somewhat irritated tone. "Since we're done with dinner, I think it's time to study."

"I can help." Akira raised her hand. "I've studied overseas so I'm qualified for this sort of thing."

"No one has to be qualified for a group study session." Itsuki stated. "Anyone can do it. Even SpongeBob. And he's mentally retarded right now!"

"Where'd you study?" Minami asked.

"Boston, Massachusetts." Akihisa answered.

"You mean, like Harvard? !" Yūji asked.

Everyone was surprised by that.

"Wow, she got the good genes." Yūji said.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean? !" Akihisa asked.

"Look what I found under Aki's bed today." Akira said as she held up a gravure magazine. "Apparently, he likes to study the Phys. Ed. subjects of girls with big breasts and ponytails."

Ayane then looked at Mizuki and Minami, who had big breasts and a ponytail, respectively.

*I wonder if Itsuki has something like that under his bed...* Ayane thought.

* * *

The next day after classes, Itsuki took Ayane to his place. It was a typical house, nothing too special about it but far from being a bad place to live.

"I live here with my grandfather." Itsuki stated.

"Where are your parents?" Ayane asked.

Itsuki looked down a bit. "... My parents were members of Interpol."

"You mean the International Police? !" Ayane asked.

"Yeah, that Interpol." Itsuki confirmed. "Well, during one of their cases a few years ago, they risked their lives to stop this one guy. So now my grandfather takes care of me."

"Itsuki... I'm sorry." Ayane apologized with a sad look on her face.

"It's okay." Itsuki said as he unlocked the door. "You didn't know."

Itsuki opened the door and both he and Ayane walked in. The interior of the house seemed nice: complete with a comfy couch, a fairly large television set and a complete kitchen.

"This is a nice you've got here." Ayane said. "Wait, isn't your grandfather home?"

"He's a teacher at another school." Itsuki answered. "He usually stays behind for an hour to do some work, so I always get home before he does."

"Oh... in that case, can we go in your room?" Ayane asked.

That question caused Itsuki to freeze where he was. Ayane quickly realized what she had just asked and blushed.

"I-It's not like that!" Ayane panicked. "I just want to see what it looks like!"

Anyway, Itsuki opened the door to his room and Ayane looked around. There was a bed, a desk with a laptop on it, a TV hanging from the wall with a PlayStation 3 connected to it.

"I, uh, I play a lot of games." Itsuki said.

"I'm not judging." Ayane said. "I play games, too."

"Really?" Itsuki said. "It's rare to find a girl who's into the sort of thing guys usually like. That's why whenever a girl enters a comic book store, the place practically becomes a zoo."

_(Begin Skit)_

_A girl enters a comic book store and all of the guys in the store, which was everyone in the store, immediately noticed her. The girl went over to some comic books and started sifting through them, the guys still staring at her._

_"Should-" One guy said._

_"Shh! You'll spook her..." Another guy whispered._

_(End Skit)_

DING DONG!

"Oh, that's probably the neighbors." Itsuki said. "They probably just need something real quick. You stay here while I go tend to them."

Itsuki left the room and Ayane began looking around for anything suspicious. She opened up one of his closets and found only clothes, lightly blushing at the sight of his underwear. She looked around again and saw something a bit lumpy on his bed under a blanket.

A few minutes later, Itsuki came back into the room and Ayane glared at him, holding up a pillow.

"Itsuki... what is this?" She asked.

"It's... a... a dakimakura." Itsuki hesitantly answered.

"And who is on this pillow?"

"It's... um... Tsubaki from _Soul Eater_."

"... Why?"

"All right, look, don't judge me. At least she's completely clothed unlike some other love pillows."

"Do you have other pillows?"

"No, that's the only one. I swear to God."

"So... you don't keep any porn hidden around?"

"No, but there are things that can get you in more trouble than porn."

_(Begin Skit)_

_A woman is walking by her son's room and hears something._

_"Baby, baby, baby, all right."_

_The woman swings the door open._

_"ARE YOU LISTENING TO JUSTIN BEIBER? !" The woman asked._

_"No, I'm watching porn." Her son answered._

_"Oh, thank God." The woman sighed with relief._

_(End Skit)_

"That joke's not in bad taste, is it?" Ayane asked.

"Who cares? He's a little prick who sings terrible songs." Itsuki responded.

"Itsuki..." Ayane spoke up. "I know this is probably none of my business, but... what kind of girls do you like?"

"Well, personally, I go for the cute ones." Itsuki said. "Although, I do want her to be nice, caring, understanding and loving."

"You seem to have really good tastes in women." Ayane said. "Is there anyone in particular you have your eyes on at all?"

Itsuki remained silent.

"Um, sorry." Ayane apologized. "I think that might be a bit too personal to just ask like that."

"You know what, Ayane?" Itsuki asked. "It's thanks to you and Hinata that I finally stopped believing that there was no way I could get a girl."

"How did Hinata help?" Ayane asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Itsuki responded.

"What happened?" Ayane inquired.

"It's too embarrassing." Itsuki said. "Can we please just talk about something else?"

* * *

The next day in class, Ayane couldn't help but look at Itsuki and think about what happened between him and Hinata that he couldn't tell her.

*Did something happen between Itsuki and Hinata the he can't talk about?* Ayane wondered. *If he won't tell me, maybe Hinata will.*

* * *

After class, Ayane went to the Class A homeroom and walked up to Hinata, who was sitting on one of the fine leather chairs.

"Oh, you're that girl who sits next to Itsuki in Class F." Hinata said. "I can't even describe how jealous I am of you."

"That's who I wanted to talk to you about." Ayane said. "I heard something happened between you two the other day. What was it?"

"Isn't it rude to ask about someone's private matters?" Hinata questioned. "Why are you even asking me this anyway?"

Ayane could not answer that question, evident by the expression on her face.

"... I think I know what this is all about now." Hinata smirked. "You like Itsuki, too, don't you?"

Ayane tried to keep her face straight so Hinata couldn't see any form of reaction.

"Sorry, but you might be too late." Hinata said.

"What do you mean by that?" Ayane asked.

"Well, if you want to know what happened between me and Itsuki..." Hinata said. "There were some circumstances and we both ended up seeing each other naked."

Ayane just stood where she was, frozen in disbelief. "I... I don't believe you."

"Luke Skywalker said something similar when Darth Vader told him he was his father." Hinata stated.

Ayane looked down and clenched her fists.

"You... You..." Ayane muttered. "YOU BITCH!"

Ayane pounced on Hinata, knocking the chair down backwards, and the two started fighting.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Class F homeroom, everyone was playing a card game on one of the short tables.

"Hey, you guys want to hear a joke?" Akihisa asked.

Everyone else groaned.

"Hey! Not cool!" Akihisa shouted. "Anyways, a priest and a rabbi walk into a bar and-"

BAM!

Hinata was thrown threw the classroom doors, then quickly got back on her feet and charged out of the room.

"GRAAAAHHH!"

Everyone dropped their cards and went into the hallway to find Ayane and Hinata having a catfight.

"OH MY GOD, CATFIGHT!" Kōta yelled with a smile.

Kōta then hogtied both Akihisa and Itsuki.

"What the hell are you doing? !" Itsuki asked.

"You two are the only ones actually dumb enough to break this up!" Kōta answered. "I won't let anyone ruin this for me!"

Ayane took a part of the broken door and tried to hit Hinata with it, but Hinata dodged the swing and punched Hinata in the stomach a few times. Ayane then punched her in the face and the two of them continued to trade blows until Mr. Nishimura picked both of them up.

"What are you two ladies doing?" Iron Man asked.

"Would you let Iron Man break that fight?" Itsuki asked Kōta.

"That question pretty much answers itself." Kōta answered.

Mr. Nishimura then dragged the two girls away.

* * *

After everything subsided, Ayane and Hinata were sitting in the nurse's office to treat their injuries.

"Are you happy now?" Hinata asked. "We're both suspended for a week."

"I wouldn't have gone berserk if you weren't such a pervert." Ayane growled.

"It was an accident." Hinata told her. "I saw him naked first, then I wanted to show him my body so we'd be even."

The two looked away from each other.

"... How did he look?" Ayane asked.

"Hm?" Hinata seemed confused.

"How was Itsuki's nude body?" Ayane asked.

"..." Hinata remained silent for a moment but then mumbled something.

Ayane was able to hear what she had mumbled. "... Good."

"... I wonder what Itsuki might think of us after this whole ordeal." Hinata said.

"I don't know..." Ayane muttered. "I just hope he doesn't think any less of me."

"Are you still planning on wearing that skimpy swimsuit over the summer?" Hinata asked.

"Oh yeah." Ayane answered. "I'm not gonna let a stalker take Itsuki from me."

"We'll see about that." Hinata smirked. "And he doesn't belong to anyone yet."

"Does he?" Ayane asked. "Or am I just that confident he'll be mine?"

"Well, to be fair I'm not telling you where to get birth control." Hinata stated.

"What's this about birth control?" Ayane questioned.

"What do you think?" Hinata asked with a mischievous smirk.

"Oh, you think you're so sly, don't you?" Ayane asked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Minami and Mizuki were listening in on their conversation through the door.

"Wow, their rivalry is pretty intense, isn't it?" Minami said.

"How come they can't be more cooperative, like we are?" Mizuki asked.

"Not everyone gets along like we do." Minami answered.

"That's a shame." Mizuki said.

Yūji then came by.

"What are you two doing?" Yūji asked.

The two girls panicked and ran away. Yūji just stared blankly as someone grabbed something out of his pocket. It was Shōko and she took Yūji's cell phone.

"Yūji..." Shōko said. "I now have your phone. Now I will see if you've been unfaithful to me since I last checked."

"Is that really necessary?" Yūji asked.

"Yes." Shōko easily answered as she sifted through Yūji's text messages, recent phone calls and contacts.

* * *

Meanwhile, Akihisa and Itsuki were on their way out of the school.

"Man, that catfight sure was crazy, wasn't it?" Akihisa said. "They ended up destroying several doors. I actually kind of wished I'd seen the whole thing. I wonder what they were fighting about."

"Eh, probably nothing important." Itsuki responded before thinking. *Although I do have an idea.*


	8. Chapter 8: J-Rock Lobster

**Hello, viewers. Sorry this took so long. I was busy writing my other story and I had a bit of a creative slump trying to figure out what to do with this chapter. But I came up with something and made sure that it turned out good. Also I went to a convention in like the first week of June and the following week I spent time looking at all the new game news coming from E3 (PS4 over Xbox One, btw). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Everyone was at Istuki's house, looking at everything that his home had to offer. I mean, all of his friends and/or acquaintances were there; Akihisa, Yūji, Ayane, Hinata, Mizuki, Minami, Hideyoshi, Kōta, Takumi and Shōko. Akihisa looked around back and forth for almost a minute before finally speaking up.

"... Nice place you got here." Akihisa said.

"I wonder where your room is." Hideyoshi expressed.

"Do we really have to go into my room?" Itsuki asked.

"Yes, we do." Yūji answered.

"Dick." Itsuki muttered.

"Are you hiding something in your room?" Minami asked.

"Why would you think I'm hiding something?" Itsuki questioned. "Because I don't want you in my room?"

"I'm just kidding." Minami said. "I don't care if you have dirty magazines." She then glares at Akihisa. "Althought, Aki is an entirely different story."

Mizuki evilly squints at Akihisa as well. "Yes, if Yoshii would have dirty magazines hiding in his room... there would be serious... repercussions."

Everyone else just blankly stared at Mizuki's sudden change of attitude.

"... How can she be cute and scary at the same time?" Ayane wondered.

They entered Itsuki's room and seemed a bit surprised about how clean and straight it was, aside from a few piles of papers.

"I do quite a bit of writing." Itsuki spoke. "Sometimes for calculating how to manage my paycheck budgets, other times trying to write down ideas I have for characters that I could possibly use should I obtain the urge to write my own manga series."

"Why would you want to write manga?" Yūji asked. "Don't they have strict schedules when to publish some things?"

"Not unless I have it planned out and drawn ahead of time." Itsuki replied.

Itsuki heard a clatter coming from one of his closets and saw Kōta digging through them.

"You shouldn't go digging through other people's closets without permission!" Itsuki yelled.

"Can I search through your closet?" Kōta asked.

"NO!" Itsuki answered.

But Kōta continued to dig through the closet.

"What's this?" Kōta asked as he pulled out what appeared to be a plastic drum set with multi-colored pads.

"That's the drum controller peripheral for _Rock Band_." Itsuki answered. "It's kind of dusty. Then again, I don't think anyone reading this would be too surprised by that."

"What's _Rock Band_?" Akihisa asked.

"It was the party/music game that took the world by storm back in 2007." Itsuki stated. "I didn't get the original, but I did get the set for _Rock Band 2_ a year later, which improved the existing ones. That drum controller came from that set. It also came out with a guitar and a microphone controller."

"I also found a keyboard with a similar design and two guitars." Kōta said as he pulled said objects out of the closet.

"That extra guitar I got from _Guitar Hero_." Itsuki said.

"Is that one of those franchises that tried to copy that other music game or something?" Akihisa asked.

"Quite the opposite, actually." Itsuki told them. "You see, the creators of the first two _Guitar Hero_ games eventually made _Rock Band_ and then the former was given direction by a new developer. I don't think anyone really cares about these stories anymore because nobody really cares about these music games anymore. Oversaturation and all that. That's kind of why you didn't see many fighting games between 2001 and 2009."

Itsuki then looks at the plastic instruments that have gathered dust in his closet for years.

"You know, it's been some time since I've played any of those." Itsuki said. "Would you guys like to try it?"

"Um, how do we play?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I can tell you later." Itsuki replied. "The microphone part is pretty much the same as singing karaoke, though."

"Karaoke?" Ayane spoke. "... I'm in."

"Yeah, why not?" Yūji said.

"I think not." Shōko spoke up after being quiet for several minutes. "Yūji, I can't let you be a rock star, even in a game. Girls will be all over you and the only girl who is allowed to touch your body... is me."

"Shōko, I think you're blowing this way out of-" Yūji was about to say when-

ZAAAPPP!

Yūji was zapped by Shōko's taser and fell to the ground.

"... So, who wants to play lead guitar and who wants to be the bassist?" Itsuki casually asked. "I think we can only play with four instruments at once, so if someone wants to try the keyboard, let me know."

"I'm a pretty good singer." Hideyoshi stated.

"Then you get the mic." Itsuki said as he tossed the microphone controller to Hideyoshi. "Since there are so many of us here, maybe we should split into teams and alternate between songs."

"I like that idea." Takumi said.

"Yeah, this way we can all have fun together." Mizuki smiled.

"Just one thing... I call lead guitar!" Itsuki shouted.

"Damn it! I wanted that!" Akihisa said. "Well, the drums seem pretty easy, so I'll take those."

"Of course you would, because all you have to do is hit them." Hideyoshi said. "Purely simple, just like you."

"Now we just need one more person." Itsuki said. "Who will it be?"

Ayane and Hinata were still for a moment and immediately raised their hands up.

"Okay, well, I think there's only room for one more person." Itsuki stated. "I presume there'll only be eight of us playing, so we'll have to split in two groups of four to keep things fair for everyone. Guys, who do you want to be our bassist or keyboard player?"

"I feel more comfortable with Ayane on our team, since she's in the same class as us." Hideyoshi expressed.

"Same here." Akihisa agreed.

Ayane walked over, sticking her tongue out at Hinata, who just glared at her.

"Ayane, would you prefer to play the bass or the keyboard?" Itsuki asked.

"The keyboard seems to be more complex." Ayane mumbled as she looked over the keyboard and second guitar peripherals. "I'll take the keyboard."

"That was a bit unexpected." Itsuki said. "Anyway, let's get this show on the road! ... Almost literally."

* * *

After Itsuki told everyone how to play their particular instrument peripherals, they played their first song. And everyone in the room was surprised by how amazing Hideyoshi's singing voice was.

"... _All aboard! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA_!" Hideyoshi sung.

Everyone just stared and then Itsuki, Ayane and Akihisa realized that they were missing their cues on the song. After a few minutes playing, at the end of the song-

"YYYEEEEEAAAAAHHH!" Hideyoshi yelled as he tore open his shirt, twirled it around in the air for a while and then slammed it onto the floor like a football.

Everyone just stared at Hideyoshi, not even blinking.

"... Is anyone else strangely turned on by this?" Itsuki asked.

"Yeah." Akihisa responded, raising his hand.

"Oh yeah." Takumi also raised her hand.

"Maybe." Kōta raised his hand, too. Also his nose was spilling blood like a miniature waterfall that you find on knickknacks you find in some homes.

"What's going on?" Yūji asked as he started to regain consciousness.

JAB!

"OOOOWWWW!" Yūji screamed as he covered his eyes.

Apparently, Shōko had stabbed his eyes with two of her fingers. "There is nothing for you to see here, Yūji. Be wary of your wandering eyes. Or else you get hurt. And you know what they say? ... Love hurts."

"So, what'd you guys think?" Itsuki asked.

"That was a lot of fun!" Akihisa said. "They say that playing with others is better than playing alone. I never really got that until just now."

"I agree." Ayane said. "Then again, that's kind of my life recently."

"All right, then the next team consists of Mizuki, Minami, Hinata and..." Itsuki droned as he realized that Takumi and Kōta were the only ones left. "Dammit! I miscalculated the number of people here! Well, since Kōta's likely to check you girls out more than he will actually play the song, Takumi will be the fourth."

"Fine by me." Kōta said as he pulled out one of his cameras. "Allows me to focus on more important things."

"Um... guys..." Mizuki spoke up. "I'm not sure if I can play the guitar."

Everyone looked over at Mizuki and saw that her breasts were accidentally hitting some of the buttons on the guitar controller. Kōta instantly got a nosebleed and fell over on his back.

"... How come I feel so inferior all of a sudden?" Minami mumbled.

"All right..." Itsuki sighed. "Looks like you'll have to play a different instrument." Itsuki reached for the microphone controller. "Play this. It's the only one I can think of where you're... physical mass won't interfere with the gameplay... unless you somehow decide to place it between your chest... Why did I bring that up?"

"Um... I think Kōta got another nosebleed." Akihisa said as he looked down at Kōta. "Are you a good singer, Himeji?"

"I don't know." Mizuki answered. "I never did anything like this before."

Minami decided to play the lead guitar, Takumi chose to play the drums and Hinata chose to play bassist.

"All right, select the song." Itsuki said to them before thinking to himself. *I hope she sings better than she cooks.*

A few minutes after the song had played, Itsuki, Ayane and Akihisa were all lying on the floor on their sides.

"... Well... I was kind of right..." Itsuki grumbled. "Still beats Gwen Stefani, though. Then again, it might've just been because the song was better."

"Isn't Taylor Swift terrible, too?" Akihisa asked.

"Hey!" Itsuki shot up. "Hey... Taylor Swift actually works to make her music. You know who her CEO is? Herself! So do your research before you open your mouth like that!"

"After doing this, I got a brilliant idea." Akihisa said. "I think we should form a rock band."

"What? !" Itsuki questioned. "Don't you realize how much money it costs to buy actual instruments, equipment and reservations for performances? Why actually be rock stars when we can pretend to be rock stars in our own homes without the risk?"

"Duh, money." Akihisa replied. "We could be rich. Rich enough to kick Beiber off of the pedestal he SO does not deserve."

"I don't care." Itsuki said. "I'm not doing it."

"Suit yourself." Akihisa said. "I can still count on Kōta, Hideyoshi and... right, I can't use Yūji. Anyway, how about you, Himeji, Shimada?"

"I'd love to join your band, Yoshii." Mizuki responded.

"I'd like to get in on that action, too." Minami agreed.

"Something tells me this is all going to blow up in his face in the end." Itsuki expressed. "Just like it did for... for... Crap! I got nothing!"

* * *

The next day at school after classes, Hideyoshi, Mizuki, Minami and Kōta came up to Akihisa's desk.

"Aki, are you ready?" Minami asked.

"Ready for what?" Akihisa asked.

"What do you mean 'ready for what'? !" Minami questioned. "We're going to the music store to buy instruments!"

"Oh, that! Right!" Akihisa remembered. "Man, I can't wait for us to be rock stars! We'll be bigger than K-ON!"

".. Tch, nobody can top K-ON..." Itsuki mumbled after overhearing the conversation.

Ayane was looking at Itsuki from her desk.

*This is the first time in a while that Itsuki's been alone...* Ayane thought, blushing a little bit. *This could be my chance to ask him out! ... I just need to muster up the courage. Come on, Ayane! You can do this! It's only seven words! 'Itsuki, will you go out with me?'*

There were several seconds of silence, without either one of them moving.

*Just ask him out!* Ayane continued thinking.

There were several more seconds of immobility and silence.

*DO IT!* Ayane thought and opened her mouth... but nothing was coming out of it. *Why can't I ask him out? ! I feel like that shy girl who has serious problems talking to the guy she likes!*

_(Begin Skit)_

_In a school hallway, a guy is walking past a girl who's holding books._

_"Hey there." The guy said._

_The girl tried to open her mouth, but no words could come out._

_"... Okay, well, see you later then." The guy said as he walked away._

_"... Damn it!" The girl muttered with a squeaked._

_(End Skit)_

"Hey, Ayane?" Itsuki spoke up.

"AAAH!" Ayane yelled.

"Uh, everything okay?" Itsuki asked.

"Wha... Y... Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine." Ayane stuttered. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Why did you and Hinata have that catfight?" Itsuki inquired.

"Eh!" Ayane exclaimed. "Do-Do I really have to answer that?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Itsuki told her. "If it's that personal, I won't pry into it."

"... She said something that pissed me off." Ayane stated. "Something inside me snapped and I wanted to tear her hair clean off her head." She said from a composed tone to one that sounded irritated.

*... Wow, it's true what they say about girls fighting.* Itsuki thought. *They really aim to kill.*

* * *

At the music store, the five future band members were all looking around at the various instruments.

"Wow, I didn't realize being a rock star was so expensive." Akihisa expressed.

"Come on, you must have known that before you decided we should form a band." Minami said.

"I wonder what we're going to play." Mizuki said. "Maybe I should sing?"

"NOOOOO!" The other four of them shouted.

"Uh, I mean, I should be the one to sing." Hideyoshi offered. "I am a pretty good singer."

"Just don't go throwing your shirt off again, okay?" Minami said. "Only guys can do that."

"I keep telling you all that I AM a guy." Hideyoshi repeated.

"I'm playing keyboard." Kōta spoke up.

"Aki, how about you be lead guitar and I'll be the bassist?" Minami suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea, Minami." Akihisa said. "That just leaves Himeji to be our drummer."

"I'll do the best I can!" Mizuki smiled.

"Are there any instruments here we can actually afford?" Akihisa questioned. "I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I'm already tight as it is."

"Didn't your sister force you to sell all of your video games?" Kōta asked.

"... Yeah, but it's not exactly money I can just blow on something like this." Akihisa said. "Do they sell any used ones here? I mean, if places like GameStop can take used merchandise, this place has to too, right?"

One of the employees walks by.

"... Excuse me?" Akihisa tried to get his attention. "Do you sell any used instruments?"

"... What?" The employee seemed confused. "... Oh yeah. Sure. Follow me."

"Sweet." Akihisa said. "This is already working out better than when we tried to reenact _Jackass_."

_(Begin Flashback)_

_On the school's rooftop, Itsuki was filming Akihisa, who was sitting in a shopping cart which was being held by Kōta and Hideyoshi._

_"Akihisa, I don't think this is a good idea." Itsuki expressed._

_"I agree." Minami said from off-camera. "This is completely stupid."_

_"That's why they call the show _Jackass_." Itsuki told her._

_"We can make a ton of money off this!" Akihisa said. "We're calling this skit... 'Rooftop... Run'?"_

_"That's the name of a _Sonic the Hedgehog_ level." Itsuki told him._

_"Screw it! We're sticking with it!" Akihisa responded. "All right, let's go!"_

_Kōta and Hideyoshi pushed the shopping cart off the school's roof with Akihisa in it. Itsuki ran with the camera toward the ledge Akihisa fell off of and saw Akihisa hit the ground below._

_"AKI! ARE YOU OKAY? !" Minami shouted._

_"My head feels weird..." Akihisa responded. "... Oh my God! My head! My spine! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY NECK AND SPINE! AAAAAHHHHH!"_

_"Minami, call the ambulance!" Itsuki said. "In the meantime, I'll record this. As stupid as it is, this is hilarious."_

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

A few days later, in the school's auditorium Akihisa, Minami, Mizuki, Kōta and Hideyoshi were waiting behind the curtains on the stage. Akihisa poked his head out to see the audience.

"Wow, this is a big turnout." Akihisa said.

... There were only about 7 or 10 students in the audience... Itsuki, Ayane, Yūji and Shōko were among those people.

"It's like Woodstock out there." Akihisa spoke. "One person might even be high out ther-No, he's just sleeping. Hey, even Shimada's younger sister is out there."

"Hazuki's here, too?" Minami asked. "Shouldn't she be at school?"

"If we start questioning things, people are going to nitpick and complain." Kōta spoke up.

"Come on, people, let's get IT ON!" Akihisa shouted.

"YEAH!" Minami yelled. "LET'S GET IT ON, AKI-oh-oh, you mean the band."

"What else would I be talking about?" Akihisa questioned.

"Um... Um... not important." Minami stuttered. "Let's go kick some ass!"

Minami ran onto the stage.

"... Why's she heading onstage?" Hideyoshi asked. "The show doesn't start for another 10 minutes."

"... Does anyone else have the strange urge to own a smoking monkey?" Akihisa asked out of the blue.

* * *

In the audience, Shōko was sitting next to Yūji... telling him what not to do.

"When the girls come up on stage, don't ogle at them." Shōko said. "Especially if they're wearing skintight outfits that reveal large amounts of cleavage."

"They're just wearing their school uniforms." Yūji stated. "You don't have to worry about the girls wearing those outfits."

"How do you know that... Yūji?" Shōko questioned. "Did you peek on them while I wasn't looking?"

"What? no, it wasn't anything like-"

ZZZZZAAAAAP!

Shōko had tased Yūji to the point where he fainted. In a nearby seat, Minami's little sister, Hazuki, was sniffing around after Yūji was tased.

"Are they cooking something?" Hazuki asked.

"Then we'll there will be dinner and a show." Kubo said from another seat. "There is no better combination." *And I get to miss my beloved Yoshii in glorious fashion. Ooohh...*

In another set of seats, Itsuki and Ayane were sitting next to each other.

"How much you wanna bet this thing is gonna blow within the first 80 seconds?" Itsuki asked.

"How much you want to bet that this'll be over in 40?" Ayane asked.

A few minutes later, the curtain opened and the group was all set to play. Everyone waited in anticipation to see what song they were going to play. The five were about to strike the first notes of their instruments when... they all fell apart. The sudden revelation left everyone, both on stage and in the audience, completely and utterly dumbfounded.

"Less than 40 seconds." Ayane spoke up as she held out her hand to Itsuki. "You owe me 1,000 yen."

"... Um... Yoshii..." Hideyoshi spoke up. "What just happened?"

"Did we practice too much on them?" Akihisa asked.

The lazy employee from the music store then appeared out of nowhere next to Akihisa. "Yeah, when someone brings in an instrument to sell, we actually repackage the instrument and then we build a cheap-ass model of the instrument and call it the used version."

"You son of a bitch!" Akihisa yelled. "You pulled a Microsoft on us!"

"Hey, don't take it up with me." The employee said. "That was all my manager's idea."

"Then I would like to have a word with this manager." Akihisa said.

Suddenly the ceiling above them broke and a high-tech jet came down and morphed into a giant robot.

"Hey, Megatron." The employee said.

"Maggot!" Megatron pointed at Akihisa. "DO AS I COMMAND AND PAY FULL PRICE FOR INSTRUMENTS, OR DIE!"

"Y-yes sir." Akihisa squealed.

Megatron transformed back into his jet form and left through the hole in the ceiling.

"... Well that was random." Itsuki spoke up.

"... And why didn't the instruments break while we were practicing?" Hideyoshi questioned.

"Well, based on the evidence..." Mizuki started. "... It clearly doesn't make any sort of logical sense at all."

"... Well that was helpful." Hideyoshi sarcastically retorted.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Itsuki was busy writing in a book and Ayane walked up to him.

"Itsuki... can I ask you something?" Ayane asked.

"If this is about the 1,000 yen I owe you, I only have 2,000 yen and higher bills on me right now." Itsuki responded.

"Oh, don't worry about that, it was only a joke." Ayane said. "What's that you got there?"

"It's called Sudoku." Itsuki answered. "It's a highly addicting puzzle game. Seriously, it's amazing how much time these things pass while on a plane or bus."

"I heard that most people have a hard time trying to figure those things out." Ayane said.

"You just have to know the rules and the logic." Itsuki told her. "I showed this to Akihisa the other day and he short-circuited."

_(Begin Flashback)_

_In the Class F homeroom, Itsuki was looking at his Sudoku book when Akihisa walked by._

_"What's that you got there?" Akihisa asked._

_"It's a puzzle game called Sudoku." Itsuki answered._

_Akihisa looked at the puzzles and he immediately started to short-circuit... literally. Sparks were flying and Akihisa was shaking violently._

_"Hideyoshi, Akihisa needs mouth-to-mouth!" Itsuki shouted._

_"Why does it have to be me?" Hideyoshi questioned from the other side of the room._

_"Because we can't use Masa from _My Bride is a Mermaid_! We used up our pop culture references for this chapter as it is!" Itsuki shouted back._

_(End Flashback)_

Ayane looked down at the ground and started to blush a bit, then lifted her head up. "Itsuki... there's... something I... have been meaning... to ask you... for a while now."

"What is it?" Itsuki asked.

"Um... it's... kind of embarrassing." Ayane continued to furiously blush.

"Ayane, you can ask me anything." Itsuki told her. "I'm your friend."

Ayane smiled. "Itsuki... will you go out with me?"

"... A-Ayane... did you... just ask me out on a date?" Itsuki asked.

"Y... yes." Ayane nodded, blushing to the point of her face being completely red.

"... All right." Itsuki spoke up. "It's a date."

"I-Itsuki, did you just..." Ayane mumbled.

"Just name the time and place." Itsuki said. "Here's my number."

Itsuki took out a slip of paper and wrote down his phone number on it, then handed it to Ayane.

"Let me know what you've got in mind." Itsuki said.

Itsuki started walking away and Ayane had a huge smile appear on her face. On the outside, it seemed like she was excited enough that it would show, but she didn't blurt anything out. On the inside...

*YYYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS! THIS IS AWESOME! WOOOOOOO! THIS IS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIIIIIIIIFE!* Ayane yelled her head off in... her head. *Words cannot describe how happy this makes me! I finally get to have a date with the boy I love! Nothing could possibly ruin it! Absolutely nothing!*

Little did she know that someone was lurking in the shadows of a nearby bush.

"So... Ayane asked Itsuki out on a date?" The person in the bush muttered to itself. "I have to make sure that Ayane does not succeed in her mission."

The person in the bush was revealed to be Hinata.

"Don't show it's me!" Hinata yelled at the... (Who is she yelling at? The camera guy?) "Wait until the next chapter to build up suspense. But if it ends up being overly delayed like this chapter was, people might possibly forget this scene by the time it comes out, so... never mind... That rendered my last statement about as pointless as the one I'm making right now." Hinata then got a text message and checked her phone. "Oh damn, I'm going to miss my show! The things people do for love... Seriously, people do some of the most idiotic things for love. Like when my dad was dating my mom, he tried to blow up his old house so he could live with my mom. Good thing my mom stopped him before the cops did... We're not big fans of cops... Neither is Itsuki... which is just one of the things I love about him..."


	9. Chapter 9: The Road to EVO

**Hello! Sorry this chapter took so long, too. Like that one before, I was on a roll with my other story and I wanted to make sure this chapter was as good as possible, as I always do. Note: There are a few fighting game references that not everyone will get, so if you're confused on something, you can just look it up on Google. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

It was Saturday afternoon after school and at Ayane's apartment, Ayane was rummaging through her closet while Mizuki sat on her bed.

"I don't know what to wear." Ayane said. "... Wow, I never thought I'd ever say anything like that. God, I am so nervous!"

"Do you think Itsuki will care what you wear?" Mizuki asked.

"I just want to make sure my date with him tomorrow goes well." Ayane told her. "Wouldn't you be this nervous if you were on a date with Yoshii?"

"Well, you have a point there." Mizuki responded.

"Do you think this is too formal?" Ayane asked, wearing a beautiful, slim and somewhat revealing purple dress.

"If you were going to Cinderella's ball, then no." Mizuki answered. "For a first date, I think that may be going too far. But you do look amazing. I'd save that for a more formal occasion."

"Good call." Ayane said as she took the dress off. "I should wear something more casual."

Ayane redressed herself, this time wearing a tank top with one of the shoulder straps loose, jean shorts and a baseball cap worn backwards.

"... Too casual?" Ayane asked.

"You ever hear of the term 'white trash'?" Mizuki asked. "Well, you look like Japanese trash."

"Yeah, I suppose this look is too ghetto." Ayane said as she started to take off those clothes. "Oh, damn it! I completely forgot!"

"What is it?"

"Tomorrow at the arcade is the last Road to EVO tournament here in Japan!"

"What's 'EVO'?"

"It's like the biggest fighting game event in the world. Words cannot describe how long I've been training for this thing! I'm not that into manga, but I know that I feel like one of those shonen heroes. But now I don't know what to do. I want to go out with Itsuki more than anything, but with the new consoles on the way, who knows how much longer my skills at the games that'll be there will matter."

"Why not just ask Itsuki to make a change of plans and meet him at the arcade? He likes games, too, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but we our focus would be at the games rather than each other. The point of a date is to get two people to know each other."

"Don't people go to the movies on dates sometimes?"

"... You're right. Maybe I can let it slide this one time."

Ayane finished putting on a black sleeveless T-shirt and crimson shorts.

"How do I look in these?" Ayane asked.

"That's perfect!" Mizuki answered. "You look really good in that... well, you looked excellent in that dress, but for your date, it's perfect."

"Really? I thought it might accentuate my ass too much." Ayane turned her body around to show Mizuki how she looked from behind.

"Hm... That might work in your favor, though. That will make him more attracted to you."

"... But what if it makes him too attracted to me? I already play video games. Guys LOVE girls who play games. What if he becomes so attracted to me that he'll want to make love to me as soon as the night is over? There's no way I can deny him that because I want to make love to him, too. Oh my God, this is going to go all the way! We're gonna have sex! There's no way around it! Now I have to worry about whether I should get condoms or birth control pills!"

Mizuki stared blankly at Ayane. "... Um... I think you may be thinking too much about this..."

"Which do you think Itsuki will prefer?" Ayane inquired.

"... Um... I wouldn't really know..." Mizuki responded.

"Let's see... condoms, while about 98% effective, have the occasional tendency to break. The pill on the other hand is 99.7% effective and only requires me to remember and based on some of the things Itsuki said, I highly doubt he has an STD. I guess that settles it. We're off to the pharmacy."

"That was quick. Like the run of most anime series." Mizuki commented.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Mizuki was sitting on a couch at her home, looking at a television screen._

_"It's over already? !" Mizuki questioned. "That was only like 13 episodes!"_

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

At Itsuki's house, Itsuki was looking through his savings booklet to see how much money he has saved up.

"I wonder how much I'll need for my date with Ayane..." Itsuki mumbled.

_Now I face out I hold out, I reach out to the truth of my life_

Itsuki reached for his cell phone and answered. "Hello?"

_"Hi, Itsuki."_ Ayane answered. _"I just wanted to ask you something."_

"What is it?" Itsuki asked.

_"Would you mind if we went to the arcade tomorrow? There's something there that I need to do."_

"Is it that Road to EVO tournament?"

_"How did you know?"_

"I pay attention to these things."

_"I wasn't sure if we should go there because I'll be more focused on the games than on you and I don't want to come off as rude."_

"It was very polite of you to ask me before making a decision. And... I won't mind if you want to play games. It'll probably only be for a couple or few hours at most anyway, so we can always stop somewhere else after all that dust settles."

_"Oh, thank you, Itsuki. You're so considerate."_

"Yeah, well, I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

_"Me neither. See you tomorrow, bye."_

Ayane hung up and Itsuki continued to sift through his savings booklet.

"... Wow, thank God I'm not living on my own yet." Itsuki said to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Yoshii residence, Akihisa was looking through a gravure magazine.

"Wow... These women are so beautiful and hot that-" Akihisa was about to say before his cell phone went off and answered it. "Hello? ... Is my refrigerator running? ... Yes... 'I better go catch it'? What? ... Why are you laughing? ... Hello?" He turned off his phone. "They hung up. What the hell was that all about? Maybe Yūji can answer it for me." He pressed numbers on his phone and called Yūji. "... Hello, Yūji?"

_"Yeah?"_ Yūji asked over the phone.

"I just got a call from a strange person and they asked me if my fridge was running." Akihisa told him. "I answered yes and they told me to catch it and they started laughing. Then they hung up before I could ask them about it."

_"Uh-huh."_ Yūji simply said.

"And this isn't the first time something like this happened." Akihisa stated.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_During lunch break at school, Akihisa was sitting down about to have his small portions when his phone went off._

_"Hello?" Akihisa answered his phone. "You want to check the audio quality of my phone? ... Okay, so all I have to do is say a random phrase? ... Sounds easy enough... 'Im-guh'... 'a'... Now altogether? ... 'I'm gay'."_

_The entire classroom erupted in laughter and pointed at Akihisa._

_(End Flashback)_

_"Dude, I think someone's prank calling you."_ Yūji told him.

"Those bastards... they're mocking me by knowing my phone number." Akihisa said. "How did they get it in the first place?"

_"I hope you didn't give it away to someone along with other information like your Social Security Number."_ Yūji said. _"Like in the movie _Identity Thief_... Does Social Security even apply in Japan?"_

"I thought that movie was really dumb." Akihisa stated.

_"And that's really saying something, considering the person that just said that."_ Yūji commented.

"Really? Who is that person?" Akihisa asked.

_"It's you, dumbass."_ Yūji answered.

"Oh, right." Akihisa responded. "How about you and the guys come by to help me figure out who these prank callers are?"

_"... All right."_ Yūji responded. _"Me and the other guys don't have anything to do tomorrow."_

"Great." Akihisa said. "I'll see you, Kōta, Hideyoshi and Itsuki tomorrow morning."

_"Itsuki's got a date tomorrow."_ Yūji told him.

"Really?" Akihisa asked. "I thought he'd never get a date. He probably didn't think so either."

* * *

The next morning at Ayane's apartment, Ayane was in her bathroom making any finishing touches on her look. She was already wearing the shirt and shorts she showed Mizuki the day before.

"Okay..." Ayane muttered. "Clothes... check. Purse... check. Arcade sticks... check. Birth control..." Ayane took a pill out of a packet, filled a glass with water, placed the pill in her mouth and drank the water. "... Check. That's everything."

DING-DONG!

"That's him!" Ayane mumbled as she made her way to her apartment door, grabbing her purse and a small bag along the way. She opened the door and Itsuki was standing in front of it, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. "I like your look, Itsuki."

"Thanks, this is just my typical attire when I'm not in school." Itsuki told her. "I really like your outfit, too."

"Oh, please, you're making me blush already." Ayane responded, then proceeding to close and lock her apartment door.

"You want to grab something to eat on the way there?" Itsuki asked.

"Sure, but we shouldn't get any large portions." Ayane answered.

"Yeah, I guess we shouldn't stop at Super Size Sweeny's then." Itsuki said. "They don't even have small portions there. You know how large their smallest portions are?"

_(Begin Flashback)_

_Itsuki came out of Super Size Sweeny's, carrying a chicken tender almost as big as himself._

_"How the hell am I supposed to finish this? !" Itsuki questioned. "Oh well, at least for its size, it's cheaper than most of the other stuff out there."_

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

Akihisa, Yūji, Kōta and Hideyoshi were all sitting in a circle on the floor of Akihisa's bedroom.

"All right, Kōta, can you trace that number back to where the call came from?" Akihisa asked.

"Hand me your phone and we'll find out." Kōta said, holding his hand out.

Akihisa gave Kōta his cell phone and Kōta used a wire to connect the phone to his laptop. He pressed several keys really fast, but the process was taking a while, so Akihisa decided to bring up a conversation.

"So... how's Shōko doing?" Akihisa asked.

"Still crazy." Yūji answered. "This morning, I was just waking up and then she comes in serving me breakfast."

"... How is that bad?" Akihisa questioned.

"I never invited her in." Yūji responded.

"It's like as long as either of you draw breath, she'll never give up on you." Hideyoshi spoke. "Unless she bites the dust first, you're never gonna be able to find another girl."

"I mean, it's not that I don't like Shōko, it's just that she's... well... crazy." Yūji stated.

"So what you're saying is you like Shōko, but you're not gonna admit it until she starts acting like a normal person?" Hideyoshi guessed.

"I'm not admitting to anything." Yūji said.

"Got it!" Kōta exclaimed. "Nothing can hide from me! Not even nude photos of Carmen Sandiego!"

Everyone else in the room had a somewhat disturbed expression on their face after that last comment.

"Where is it?" Akihisa asked.

"It appears that the call was made at a pay phone." Kōta answered.

"Anyone could've use that phone!" Hideyoshi stated.

"This isn't over!" Akihisa shouted.

Yūji then placed his hand on Akihisa's shoulders. "Yoshii, it's over. There's absolutely no way to find that guy now. Just give up. It's for the best."

"... All right." Akihisa sighed. "I guess we'll never know who that mystery caller is. You guys want anything to drink? All we got is regular soda, though."

"Sure, we'll have some." Yūji responded.

Akihisa then left the room, leaving the other three alone.

"When are we going to tell that we're the prank callers?" Hideyoshi asked.

"When it stops being funny." Yūji answered.

"So... never?" Kōta guessed.

"... Yeah." Yūji chuckled with a grin.

* * *

On the streets of the suburb, Itsuki and Ayane were walking down the sidewalk. However, someone was following them from the shadows and watching them from behind a building. That someone was Hinata, wearing a purple T-shirt with two horizontal lines on the sides and white shorts.

"Hinata's log..." Hinata spoke into a portable voice recorder. "I am currently tracking the targets. What their destination is I do not yet know. Nor do I know whether coitus is in their intents... Although based on those tight shorts 'the Bitch' is wearing, I'd say that she wants to engage in coitus with 'My Love'. I must ensure that never happens. If anyone's going to make love to Itsuki, it's going to be me."

Hinata followed Itsuki and Ayane to the arcade.

"The targets appear to be going inside the arcade." Hinata spoke into her recorder again. "I wonder what they intend to do here. I guess my only answer is to enter it and find out for myself."

When they went inside the arcade, Itsuki and Ayane looked around.

"All right... where to sign up for Road to EVO?" Ayane wondered.

"You know, coming into one of these after seeing _Wreck-It-Ralph_ makes me wonder if all the characters in these games actually meet together." Itsuki expressed. "I know it seems a little out there, but it'd be a cool idea, wouldn't it? You know what? I keep forgetting to ask. Which game are you planning to participate in?"

"_Street Fighter IV_." Ayane answered.

"Ooh, you've got tough fights on your hands." Itsuki said.

"Do you plan to enter a tournament?" Ayane asked. "That way if we both qualify for EVO, we can go together."

"I didn't really plan to, I mean, the guys who try to enter these things are really tough." Itsuki responded.

"... Could you please enter?" Ayane requested. "For me." Ayane looked at Itsuki with a face that he couldn't say 'no' to.

"... Do I have to play _Street Fighter_? My skills are kind of rusty at that game." Itsuki said.

"You can play whatever game you want." Ayane told him.

"Then I'll enter the _Persona 4 Arena_ tournament." Itsuki said. "I'm much better at that game anyway. And while we're on the subject of Capcom, why won't they just make a new _Darkstalkers_ already?"

Hinata watched them while hiding from them behind an arcade cabinet.

"It appears that they will be entering a few tournaments here." Hinata spoke into the recorder. "However, they seem to be playing different games. I might be able to use that to my advantage."

Itsuki and Ayane walked up to a table with two guys sitting behind it.

"Excuse me, do you know where we sign up for the Road to EVO tournaments?" Itsuki inquired.

"Right here." One of the guys responded, moving a slip of paper across the table. "Just sign your name under the games you want to participate in and if you want to use an alias, just place it next to your real name."

"All right..." Itsuki muttered as he started writing down his name, bent over a little bit. "I'll put my alias as... 'spiralgamer'..."

As Itsuki wrote down his name, Ayane couldn't help but stare at Itsuki's ass and blush.

"Your turn." Itsuki said, standing upright and giving the pen to Ayane.

"Oh... right." Ayane snapped out of her dirty daydream. She bent over a little bit as she was signing her name. "And I will be... 'Mistress Kunoichi'..."

Itsuki couldn't help but notice Ayane's ass and ogled at it a bit.

*Wow...* Itsuki thought. *Her ass is perfect...*

Ayane stood back upright and Itsuki regained his composure.

"Okay." The guy behind the table said. "The tournaments will coincide a bit, but it won't matter at all since you're playing different games anyway. The _Street Fighter IV _tournament will begin soon, but the _Persona_ one won't start for another hour or so."

"Great. Thanks." Itsuki said to the man before he and Ayane walked away.

"I better go use the restroom now so it won't bother me during the tournament." Ayane told Itsuki.

"Okay." Itsuki said.

Ayane made her way to the restroom while Itsuki just looked around the arcade. People were playing various games on arcade cabinets, consoles and computers alike. He kept observing everything around him until he heard a familiar voice.

"So... how do you play this?" A familiar female voice asked.

Itsuki looked over and saw Hinata sitting in a chair, trying to play _Persona 4 Arena_.

"Oh, Itsuki!" Hinata called out. "Do you know how to play this game?"

"There's a tutorial option in the main menu." Itsuki stated as he walked over to her. "Basically, these are the A, B, C and D buttons. Just go to the tutorial and you'll be able to figure it out on your own."

"Would you mind staying here to help me with any questions I might have?" Hinata asked.

"I'm afraid I'm here with Ayane and I don't think she'd want to see you after that little catfight you two had the other day." Itsuki told her.

"I understand." Hinata looked down a bit. "... Hey, what do you think about me?"

"Um... I can't really answer that very well." Itsuki said. "I don't really know anything about you, other than the fact that you love anime and manga... and have a habit of stalking me."

"Well, I've been bettering myself so I don't follow you everywhere you go." Hinata said. "Though the only reason I do it is because I was afraid to confess my feelings."

"Did you follow me and Ayane here?" Itsuki questioned.

"... Okay, I still follow you around, but at least it's not as bad as before." Hinata stated. "Do you know what I think might help? If we became friends and went to places. Maybe even talk over Facebook or Skype."

"I wouldn't mind that, but I don't think I should be here with you for much longer." Itsuki said. "As you MAY already know, I'm out with Ayane and I don't want to dis her off by hanging out with you."

"Completely understandable." Hinata said. "Maybe another time I can come over to your place and you can teach me how to be better at this game."

Hinata stayed where she was, moving through the game's menus as Itsuki walked away. Itsuki made his way back to where the restrooms were and Ayane had just left the women's restroom.

"All right, let's go." Ayane said. "They should be starting in a few minutes. You want to watch me play before the other tournament starts?"

"Sure." Itsuki answered. "I'm anxious to see how you play."

* * *

After all of the players were present and accounted for, the matches officially started. During the course of the first round, Ayane won her first match pretty convincingly. When her match was over, Ayane walked up to Itsuki, who was watching the fights from a nearby chair.

"What did you think?" Ayane asked.

"You were really good." Itsuki answered. "And what a coincidence that you have the same main character I do."

"So you like to play as Ibuki, too?" Ayane asked.

"Yeah, I'm just drawn to female ninjas for some reason." Itsuki said. "I mean, I find Chun Li more attractive, but in terms of playing I actually prefer Ibuki. Anyway, I know who to ask if I need help trying to master that Super Jump Cancel of hers. I could never get the hang of that. One time, I spent maybe two hours in the game's training mode trying to master it, but it only worked like 5 percent of the time. Back to reality, I hope you do well in the... well, the rest of this thing."

"And good luck in yours." Ayane smiled.

"You better watch the upcoming matches." Itsuki suggested. "It's the perfect opportunity to know what tricks your potential opponents have up their sleeves."

"Good call." Ayane said. She sat down in a chair next to Itsuki and leaned against his shoulder. "Does this bother you at all?"

"N-no." Itsuki answered, blushing a bit. *Wow, simply being touched by a girl makes me hard. Good thing it's not noticeable while I'm sitting down. It's always disturbing when Kōta ends up having to walk around with those at school. Why the hell did I just bring that up? ! That thought's disgusting, especially for a straight guy like me!*

"Itsuki..." Ayane spoke up. "Do you think I'd make a great girlfriend?"

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" Itsuki asked.

"... It... just came to me." Ayane simply said.

"Well..." Itsuki spoke. "What do you think? Do YOU think you'd make a great girlfriend for someone? Sometimes, you can't let others judge you. Only one person can truly judge whether or not you'd be worthy of something and that's you."

"... You're right, Itsuki." Ayane said. "Only I can say whether or not I'd be a great girlfriend."

"Exactly." Itsuki said.

"... There's also something else I want to ask you about." Ayane said. "Who do you prefer to be your girlfriend: Hinata or... me?"

"Ayane... I think I know what's been going on lately." Itsuki realized something.

"What?"

"Your fight with Hinata, you asking me out then asking me these questions... Do you... actually like me?" Itsuki asked.

"... I do." Ayane answered. "I didn't know what to do because this was the first time I ever had romantic feelings for someone. It took a lot of courage for me to simply ask you out the other day. And it made me really happy when you agreed to it."

"I'm glad you're happy." Itsuki said. "That's what's important."

"What about your happiness?" Ayane asked. "You deserve happiness, too. Actually..." Ayane looked Itsuki right in the eyes. "Simply being with you makes me happy. And I would make sure that you would be happy, too. Very..." Ayane got lost in Itsuki's eyes. "... happy..."

Ayane then suddenly moved her face, wrapped her arms around Itsuki's neck and gave him a big kiss on the lips. Itsuki was motionless for a couple of moments... then he started kissing Ayane back.

"Itsuki..." Ayane mumbled as she stared deep into Itsuki's eyes and his into hers.

"Now calling for the _Persona 4 Arena_ tournament!" A man from a small ways away called.

"Oh, y-you better go." Ayane told him.

"Y-yeah." Itsuki stuttered. "We'll... talk more about this later, okay? I'll come back to check on how you're doing."

"O-okay." Ayane responded.

* * *

A few hours later, after the tournaments ended, Itsuki and Ayane stopped at an ice cream shop and he got them ice cream cones.

"Congratulations on winning the tournament." Itsuki told her. "You'll officially be the first female competitor at EVO. Really, those tournaments are always a sausage-fest, even when the guys are playing as female characters."

"It wasn't easy getting there, that's for sure." Ayane stated. "That guy almost got me in that last fight."

"But you never gave up, and that's why you won." Itsuki said.

"I could say the same thing to you." Ayane said. "You won your tournament, too. Now we're both going to EVO in a few weeks."

"Yep, Viva Las Vegas!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"You guys are going to Vegas? !" A strange voice came from out of nowhere.

Itsuki and Ayane looked around and saw Akihisa and the rest of their friends standing behind them.

"When the **** did you guys get here? !" Itsuki asked.

"We got here when you said 'Vegas'." Akihisa answered. "Can we come?"

"I don't know..." Itsuki said. "Can we?"

"... There's a lot to do in Vegas, though most of it is for the 21 or older crowd." Ayane stated.

"Maybe we can see the Blue Man Group." Hideyoshi said.

"Nah, those guys creep me out with their bald, blue heads..." Akihisa shuddered.

"We did get tickets letting us take one other person for each of us." Ayane said.

"I'll take... Hideyoshi." Itsuki said.

"You didn't pick me? !" Akihisa asked. "Haven't you heard of the American term 'bros before hoes'?"

"Uh, I'm a bro!" Hideyoshi pointed out... again.

"Yep, next chapter, we're going to Vegas!" Itsuki looks at the reader. "Hopefully, it doesn't turn out like the _Hangover_... or will it? ... No, hopefully not."


	10. Chapter 10: Forgetting Sin City

**Finally managed to get this done. By the way, this chapter is a _Hangover_ parody and I had to make some cuts to shorten the chapter and brign this to you on time, so I apologize if certain parts are rushed or half-backed. Also, I noticed that I didn't get the usual number of reviews for my last chapter. It's fine, it's just that it makes me think I lost you guys. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy... and please review.**

* * *

At a nearby airport, Itsuki, Ayane, Mizuki and Hideyoshi were sitting over in the waiting area for the plane to Las Vegas to start boarding. Itsuki was doing Sudoku puzzles, Ayane was on her laptop with her earphones connected to it with Mizuki watching and Hideyoshi was just looking around the airport.

"You know what one of the benefits of waiting at an airport has?" Hideyoshi asked.

Itsuki tried to think of something. "... Nope, nothing comes to mind."

"You get to see all types of people from around the world." Hideyoshi stated. "I mean, look. You've got the local Japanese, Americans, African-Americans, there are even Mexicans here."

A Mexican janitor enters the men's restroom to clean. "... I'm all out of Lemon Pledge."

"Is that the game you're going to be playing?" Mizuki asked Ayane.

"Yep." Ayane answered. "I'm doing research on my competitors so I can dissect their strategies and use them against them."

"Shouldn't you be studying your opponents, too, Itsuki?" Mizuki asked.

"I'm one of those 'know what's safe and unsafe on block and take advantage' kind of player." Itsuki responded.

"... I don't know what that means." Mizuki reacted.

"It means that if your opponent attacks while you're blocking their attack, if the attack has a prolonged recovery period that means the attack isn't safe and your opponent can counterattack." Ayane stated.

"... I still don't get it." Mizuki said.

Akihisa and Minami then came by.

"Yoshii, what are you doing here?" Mizuki asked.

"Well, I was a bit bummed about not going to Vegas, so Shimada talked with her dad and we're coming along, too." Akihisa said.

"That's seems quite generous, don't you think?" Itsuki commented.

"Who cares? I GET TO GO TO VEGAS, BABY!" Akihisa shouted.

"So I'm guessing Yūji, Kōta and Shōko are coming along, too?" Hideyoshi said.

"Nah, Shōko won't let Yūji go because she's afraid he'll cheat on her." Akihisa replied. "And we have Kōta with the dogs."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kōta was being loaded in an animal carrier surrounded by animal carriers filled with dogs and cats barking and meowing.

"... Vegas had better be worth it." Kōta muttered.

* * *

Ayane removed her earphones. "Itsuki, can I speak to you in private for a moment?"

"Sure." Itsuki answered.

Itsuki and Ayane walked away from the others until they were out of earshot.

"Um... we never got around to talking about... what happened that night..." Ayane brought up.

"Oh yeah, everyone kind of interrupted that." Itsuki said.

"When I... kissed you, you kissed me back." Ayane stated, blushing a little bit. "Does... Do you like me, too?"

"Um... well..." Itsuki was blushing a bit as well. "I... uh..." Itsuki tried to open his mouth and say something, but he couldn't speak any words.

"Itsuki, is something wrong?" Ayane asked.

"Ah... I..." Itsuki stuttered. "... Uh... E... E... Y... Y... Yes."

"Hm?"

"E... Yes, I do like you." Itsuki stuttered.

"Oh, Itsuki!" Ayane said as she gave Itsuki a great big hug.

Ayane gave Itsuki another kiss on the lips and Itsuki almost instantly started kissing her back.

"I guess this officially makes us a couple, huh?" Ayane asked.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Itsuki responded. "I never thought anything like this would happen, especially this soon in my life. Having a girlfriend, I mean."

"Do you think we should tell the others?" Ayane asked.

Itsuki looked back at the group of friends. "... Do you think they'll be able to handle it? ... Or not think we're playing some kind of practical joke on them?"

"Are you omniscient or something?" Ayane questioned. "You're like Charles Dickens when he was an actual character in _A Christmas Carol_."

"That was only in the Muppet version." Itsuki stated. "Which I liked very much by the way."

"We should probably just let them know anyway." Ayane said.

Itsuki and Ayane walked back to where their friends were.

"Everyone, Ayane and I have an important announcement to make." Itsuki said.

"Oh no, you're leaving Class F, aren't you?" Akihisa looked like he was about to cry, but fell to the floor and started bawling. "How could you do this to us? How? What did we ever do to you?"

"Yoshii, it's not anything like that." Itsuki stated.

"Oh, good." Akihisa got up and regained his composure.

"So what's the good news?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Ayane and I... are officially boyfriend and girlfriend." Itsuki told them.

"I'm so happy for you two." Mizuki smiled. "Do you want me to switch rooms with Itsuki? I don't mind staying with Hideyoshi. We're both girls after all. And why were you going to stay with Itsuki in the first place?"

"Because I'm not a girl; I'm a guy." Hideyoshi told them... again.

"Why would you think you would need to trade rooms with Kaito?" Akihisa asked Mizuki.

"You have a lot to learn about romance, Aki." Minami told him.

"What?" Akihisa seemed completely confused.

_"The flight to Las Vegas, Nevada will begin boarding shortly."_ A voice over the PA system announced.

"That's our flight." Itsuki said. "You guys all ready to go? Got your bags? Nothing got stolen?"

"I think something got stolen." Akihisa raised his hand.

"What did you lose, Yoshii?" Itsuki asked with exasperation.

"I didn't lose anything." Akihisa said as he started munching on a candy bar. "But I did take this piece of candy someone left on one of the chairs."

"Yoshii, you don't know where that's been!" Mizuki stated. "Stop eating that!"

"I don't see what the problem i-" Akihisa stopped talking abruptly and started walking casually towards one of the garbage bins. He tossed the candy bar in there and started vomiting into the bin. He then wiped his mouth off and walked back to the others. "... Sorry about that."

* * *

After everyone got on the plan and it took off, they were all doing their own thing. Akihisa was taking a nap in a seat between Minami and Mizuki, with both girls leaning against him, asleep as well. In front of them were Hideyoshi by the window, with Ayane in the middle and Itsuki next to the aisle. They were all awake with Hideyoshi looking out the window and Itsuki and Ayane playing their Nintendo 3DS systems.

"Blaziken, Thunderpunch." Itsuki said.

"You can't teach Blaziken that move." Ayane pointed out.

"Not if you taught it that move in the Gen IV games and transferred it over." Itsuki said.

"Can't you guys just be quiet?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Would you rather hear this or watch _Godzilla_?" Itsuki asked.

"... Okay, you win." Hideyoshi responded.

* * *

Several hours later, everyone finally arrived at the Paris Hotel.

"Holy crap, when did the Eiffel Tower get here?!" Akihisa shouted.

"It's a miniature replica, dummy." Hideyoshi answered. "They call this the 'Paris Hotel' for a reason, you know."

"Okay, let's go over the room assignments." Ayane said.

"I'll be sharing a room with Aki!" Minami stated as she latched onto Akihisa's arm.

"Okay, then Mizuki and I will be sharing a room, leaving the other three boys to the remaining room." Ayane stated. "Any objections to these accommodations?"

"Yes." Mizuki spoke up. "Wouldn't you rather share a room with Itsuki, Ayane? I mean, now that you're a couple, wouldn't you want to... you know?"

Kōta got a nosebleed and fell backwards.

"Wh-Why ask this?" Ayane asked, blushing furiously. "I-I m-mean, we JUST became a couple! There isn't any need to do 'that' so soon, is there?"

"But you always tell me how badly you want to-" Mizuki was about to say before Ayane covered her mouth.

"I-It's nothing, guys. Really." Ayane nervously smiled.

"... What were they talking about?" Akihisa asked.

"Yoshii, you really are an idiot." Itsuki commented. "Just like Monkey D. Luffy. Seriously, he's like the biggest moron who ever existed... well, maybe except for George Bush."

_(Begin Skit)_

_George Bush was looking at a piece of paper that said 'What is 2 + 2?'._

_"Oh, man, this is hard!" Bush moaned, grabbing his head. "I wonder if Uncle Rush can help me?"_

_(End Skit)_

* * *

Itsuki, Hideyoshi and Kōta entered their room and were amazed by how luxurious it was. There was even a Jacuzzi in the room.

"Wow, so this is what it feels like to live in Sin City." Itsuki said. "It's a paradise... except for maybe the occasional thug. But otherwise, I wouldn't mind coming back here again."

Hideyoshi looked in the bathroom. "I'm guessing most of the guests were born here in America."

Everyone else went into the bathroom and saw how different it was from a typical Japanese bathroom.

"When my parents came to America, they mentioned how the bathroom was a combination of our bath room and a restroom." Itsuki said.

"How do you even use this thing?" Hideyoshi wondered.

"I believe when you have to do a number 2, you sit on it, but if you're a guy and have to take a piss, you stand over it, let your jewels out and go." Itsuki stated.

"Hey, good times have arrived!"

The three of them left the bathroom and saw Akihisa carrying a bag.

"Hey there, Yoshii." Itsuki greeted.

"What's in the bag?" Kōta inquired.

"Just some brownies I picked up back at the airport." Akihisa answered. "Wanna have some?"

"Do they have nuts in them?" Itsuki asked.

"No." Akihisa answered.

"Then I'd be glad to have some." Itsuki responded.

All four of them took a brownie and ate it.

"Let's all make this a night we'll never forget!" Akihisa shouted.

Everyone else cheered with him.

* * *

The next morning, the room was in complete disarray. The Jacuzzi had balloons in it, a sword was stabbed in an apple on a nearby table, the chair was smoking yet not on fire for some unexplainable reason, bowling pins were set up near one of the bedrooms and for some reason a chicken was walking around. The chicken was passing by Hideyoshi, who was passed out on the floor and starting to wake up. He slowly got up and looked around at the chaos that was caused. He then took a seat on one of the couches and laid on it. He suddenly saw Akihisa getting up from behind the kitchen counter, who ends up losing his balance and falls backwards, knocking over some things. Hideyoshi just looked at him as Akihisa managed to get back up again (Did I mention Akihisa wasn't wearing any pants?). Akihisa then went into the bathroom, passing by a passed out, shirtless Kōta covered in bed sheets and scaring the chicken a bit. He went into the bathroom and started to use the toilet. At some point, he looks over in the corner.

"... hm... stupid tiger..." Akihisa mumbled, before suddenly realizing there was a tiger in the bathroom.

"They'rre Grrrreat!" Apparently the tiger was Tony the Tiger.

Akihisa ran out of the bathroom in a panic and slammed the door shut. He ended up tripping over Kōta, waking him up, and falling over.

"Ow!" Kōta groaned as he awoke and looked at Akihisa. "Yoshii, put on some pants."

"Kōta, don't go in the bathroom!" Akihisa told him.

"Yoshii, calm down." Kōta said.

"There is a tiger in the bathroom!" Akihisa exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Hideyoshi asked.

"There's a jungle cat in the bathroom!" Akihisa shouted. "And not the good kind!"

"I'll check it out." Kōta said.

"Be careful, don't go in." Akihisa warned him.

Kōta looked inside the bathroom and immediately shut the door. "Holy shit! He's not kidding! There IS a tiger in there!"

"No there isn't." Hideyoshi said.

"Yeah, there is." Kōta stated as he put his shirt back on. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm in so much pain." Hideyoshi answered.

"... Damn, look at this place." Kōta said. "Good thing this room is being paid by the EVO guys."

"How does a tiger get in the bathroom? !" Akihisa questioned. "It almost killed me!"

"Yoshii, could you please put on some pants?" Kōta asked again. "I find it weird that you're walking around like that."

Akihisa left the room to put on some pants.

"What the hell happened last night?" Kōta wondered.

"Kōta, am I missing a tooth?" Hideyoshi asked. "It feels like I lost a tooth."

Kōta laughed and Hideyoshi picked up a nearby platter to look at his reflection. One of his front teeth was gone.

"Oh, my God! It's gone!" Hideyoshi panicked.

"Okay, let's just calm down." Kōta said. "We're fine. Yoshii, go find Kaito and wake him up! Let's just get some coffee and get out before housekeeping shows up."

"I lost a tooth and I have no freakin' idea how it happened." Hideyoshi said.

"Hideyoshi, just calm down." Kōta repeated.

"How am I supposed to calm down?" Hideyoshi questioned. "Look around you."

"Hey, guys." Akihisa came back into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. "He's not in here."

"Did you check all the rooms?" Kōta asked.

"No, and all his stuff's gone, too." Akihisa responded.

"Maybe he went to the convention center early." Kōta said. "Let's try calling his cell."

Kōta pressed some keys on his cell phone and placed it by his ear. Meanwhile, Hideyoshi was still looking at his missing tooth.

"I look like a nerdy hillbilly." Hideyoshi said.

"Wow, that fits the description perfectly!" Akihisa responded to Hideyoshi's comment.

They heard ringing coming from a nearby counter and Akihisa picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" Akihisa answered the phone.

"Yoshii?" Kōta asked into the phone.

"Hey." Akihisa responded.

"It's Kōta."

"Oh, hey Kōta-" Akihisa realized something and ended the call. "This is Kaito's phone."

"No shit." Kōta responded.

"WAAAAAH!" A high-pitched cry came out of nowhere.

The sound befuddled the guys.

"... What the hell is that?" Hideyoshi asked.

They go to the source of the sound, a closet, and opened it to find a crying baby. The baby stopped crying when he saw the guys.

"Whose baby is that?" Kōta asked.

"Yoshii, are you sure there was no one else in the room?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I'm sure." Akihisa answered. "There was no one else here. Check its collar or something."

"He's not a dog or a cat, Yoshii." Hideyoshi pointed out. "Shhh..." Hideyoshi tried to calm the baby down. "It's okay, baby..."

"Hideyoshi, we don't have time for this, we need to go." Kōta said.

"We can't leave a baby in the room!" Hideyoshi reacted. "Especially when there's a tiger in the bathroom!"

"Then we should just take him with us." Kōta said. "And Yoshii, please find some pants."

"... Maybe I don't want to walk around in pants." Akihisa responded. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

* * *

The three guys ride an elevator down with the baby strapped to Akihisa's chest, who was wearing sunglasses.

"... Why are you wearing those?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I just found 'em and put 'em on." Akihisa answered.

"... More importantly, why can't we remember anything?" Hideyoshi wondered.

The elevator stopped and a lady entered. She looked at the baby. "Oh how cute. What's his name?"

"... Carlos." Akihisa answered.

Hideyoshi and Kōta just look at him. "That's not even Japanese. Where'd you come up with that?"

* * *

Near the Paris Hotel pool, Akihisa and Kōta were sitting at a table with the baby when Hideyoshi walks up to them.

"I checked the place, I couldn't find Kaito anywhere in the hotel and nobody's seen him." Hideyoshi said. "I tried to find the girls, but I couldn't find them either."

"Well, let's just retrace our steps." Kōta suggested. "Okay, what was the last thing we remember?"

"I think it was when we got here and we all had those brownies." Akihisa recalled. "Then I think we all went to get some food with the girls."

"I'm sure we did, but I don't remember us going to dinner." Hideyoshi said.

"Me neither." Kōta said.

"Yeah, we seriously blacked out, like an anemic guy." Akihisa chuckled, then looking to Kōta who passed out in a puddle of blood on the table.

Kōta shot up, his nose still bleeding a little. "Sorry, just saw a bunch of hot girls in skimpy swimsuits. Anyway, so that must have ended at 10 last night, so that gives us a 12 hour time frame where we could have lost him."

"What's this?" Akihisa took something out of his pocket.

"That's my tooth!" Hideyoshi swiped the tooth back from Akihisa. "What were you doing with my tooth, Yoshii?"

"I don't remember!" Akihisa responded.

"Wait, that gives me an idea." Kōta said. "Check your pockets."

The guys checked their pockets. Akihisa had some change in his pocket and Hideyoshi found a receipt.

"Why would we spend $100 on McDonald's?" Hideyoshi questioned.

"I found a valet ticket from the Paris." Akihisa said. "Apparently we got here at around 5 in the morning."

"We don't drive." Hideyoshi stated.

"I know, that's what's weird." Akihisa agreed. "Kōta, what's on your arm?"

There was a yellow band on Kōta's wrist and they all took a look at it.

"You were in the hospital last night?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Are you okay?" Akihisa asked.

"I'm fine, Yoshii." Kōta answered.

"The hell's going on?" Hideyoshi wondered.

"Well, at least we have a lead." Kōta emphasized the band on his wrist.

* * *

They stepped outside, carrying cups of coffee and a valet walks up to them.

"May I get you your car, gentlemen?" The valet asked.

"You know what, we might need it anyway so let's just have him get it." Kōta said.

The valet then leaves and a few minutes later, he comes back with a police car.

"Here's your car, officers." The valet said.

The three of them just stare at the car and Hideyoshi ended up dropping his cup of coffee. They decided to take the car anyway and when Hideyoshi tried to open the door for Akihisa and the baby, he accidentally hit the baby with the car door and the baby started crying.

"Oh, God!" Hideyoshi exclaimed.

* * *

A short while later, they were driving in traffic.

"This is so illegal in so many ways." Hideyoshi said.

"Learn to live a little." Kōta told him.

"Yeah, because we're in a stolen police car, without driver's licenses with a possibly missing child in the back seat." Hideyoshi stated. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"... You don't have to be a dick about it." Kōta responded.

"I think the cop car part is pretty cool." Akihisa said.

"See, Yoshii gets it." Kōta said before honking the horn at the traffic. "Come on!"

"I just realized we're in a police car..." Hideyoshi said. "We could use the siren to just bypass all this traffic."

"Good point." Kōta said as he turned the siren on and started driving on the sidewalk.

"I didn't mean it like this!" Hideyoshi shouted.

"Please move out of the way. Important police business." Kōta said into the car's intercom to alert the people walking on the sidewalk. "... Mam in the leopard dress, you have an amazing rack."

A knife then hit the side of the car window, barely missing Kōta's head.

Akihisa couldn't help but chuckle at that.

* * *

The guys finally arrived at the hospital and asked one of the doctors what had happened... while he was tending to a very elderly patient.

"I already told you..." The doctor said. "You guys came in here with a few cuts and bruises. Though, none of you could recall how it happened."

"Do you remember how many of us were here?" Kōta inquired.

"Well, it was definitely you guys, but no baby." The doctor answered. "Although there was one other guy about your age."

"That's Kaito." Hideyoshi said. "At least we know he was here. Was he okay?"

"Yeah, but all of you were whacked out of your minds." The doctor told them.

The old man stood up and the doctor started to pull his pants down. The other guys had to look away and Akihisa immediately ran out of the room and blew chunks into a nearby trashcan.

"Gah... Thank God I'm in a hospital..." Akihisa panted.

The doctor finished his work with the patient and started to leave after washing his hands.

"Can we just have a few more minutes of your time?" Kōta asked, holding a $10 bill between his fingers and stuck it in the doctor's coat pocket.

"... Come." The doctor told them. They followed him down the hospital hallways as he looked through a file. "Patient name: Kōta Tsuchiya. 2:45 AM arrival. Minor concussion, some bruising. Pretty standard... Hm, this is interesting, your blood tests came in this morning. Apparently they've found a large amount of rohypnol and Bermudagrass in your systems."

"What does that mean?" Akihisa asked. "And tell us in layman's terms."

"It means you were probably smoking pot and someone slipped you roofies." The doctor clarified. "The latter is also known as the date-rape drug."

"... Did I get raped last night?" Hideyoshi asked.

The doctor checked the file again. "... No, doubtful. Though I'm not surprised you don't remember anything."

Hideyoshi let out a sigh of relief. "Wait, then how did it get in us?"

"I don't know, but it's probably out of your system by now and you should be fine." The doctor assured them.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Kōta asked.

"Well, you kept talking about a wedding you just came from." The doctor told them. "At that chapel further down the road. I really have to go, I hope that helps."

The doctor left, leaving the others pondering what exactly he meant by 'wedding'.

* * *

Kōta drove to the chapel that the doctor mentioned and they all got out of the car.

"We're not leaving the baby in the car." Akihisa said.

"He'll be fine." Kōta said. "I left the window cracked open."

"That doesn't work the way you think." Hideyoshi stated.

They all went into the chapel, looking around the place.

"What if they don't remember us?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I'm pretty sure they'll remember 4 underage Japanese boys." Kōta pointed out.

They saw a man and a woman working on something in the corner.

"Excuse me, sir?" Hideyoshi called to them.

The man saw them, chuckled and walked over to them. "Haha! You're back! I have to say, you have got to be the craziest girl I have met in my life."

Akihisa and Kōta looked at Hideyoshi.

"... Why are you looking at me? I'm a guy." Hideyoshi stated.

"Anyway, we came to ask about last night because... we're having a hard time remembering." Kōta said.

"Yeah, was there a wedding here?" Akihisa asked.

"We're trying to look for our friend, Itsuki Kaito, have you seen him?" Kōta asked.

"Black-haired guy? Japanese like you?" The man asked, to which everyone nodded. "Of course."

"Can you tell us about anything that happened last night?" Hideyoshi asked.

"... You really can't remember anything?" The man asked. "What are you? ****ing amnesiacs like in those cartoons you watch?"

"They're not cartoons..." Akihisa glared at the man. "They're anime!"

The man pulls out a photo album depicting a photograph of Hideyoshi in a tuxedo holding hands with some white girl.

"Congratulations, Hideyoshi, you got married!" Akihisa smiled.

"This can't be happening." Hideyoshi groaned.

"And I even made you souvenirs!" The man pulled out a huge box from behind the counter. "I made coffee mugs, caps, calendars and even a picture that will be used on the next Conan O'Brien show." All of those items had the same photograph of Hideyoshi and that girl.

"So, who's the lady?" Akihisa asked.

"Oh, you mean Sapphire?" The man asked. "Oh, she was beautiful, man, she even had a baby."

"That would explain the baby." Kōta said.

"Carlos." Akihisa corrected him. "His name is Carlos."

"... Whatever." Kōta said. "Anyway, we need this marriage annulled immediately."

"Oh, don't worry, I didn't actually marry you guys!" The man said. "When you said all of you were under 18, I just thought I'd give you a mock wedding and give you all a good time... but I still charged you full price."

"Well, do you know her address?" Kōta inquired. "She might know where Kaito is. I mean, she must have filled out some degree of paperwork."

"Wait, when you said we were all under 18, did that just apply to the three of us or including the girl?" Hideyoshi asked.

"The girl was about your age, too." The man said. "Must have gotten knocked up when she started high school or something."

"I hate how everything's a business today." Akihisa expressed. "Makes adult life too complicated, ya know?"

The guys headed back to the car, Akihisa carrying the souvenirs, and got inside.

"This whole situation is completely effed up." Hideyoshi said. "Why would I marry some stranger?"

"... At least we got something to remember it by." Akihisa looked at the coffee mug while wearing the cap.

Suddenly, a Camaro races by and comes to a screeching halt right behind their car. Korean men with bats came out of the car and started wailing on the boys' car. The guys couldn't help but scream and the baby cried.

"Get the fuck out of the car!" The men kept shouting. "Where the hell is he? !"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Kōta yelled.

"Get us out of here!" Hideyoshi yelled.

"We're blocked!" Kōta pointed out.

One of the men pulls out a gun.

"He's got a gun!" Akihisa screamed.

"No shit!" Kōta also screamed.

Kōta drove forward, running over the guy's foot, then backed out, knocking the other car out of the way, and he raced off.

"... Holy shit! Who were those guys?!" Akihisa asked.

The baby was still crying and Hideyoshi tried to calm him down.

"Shh! Shh! It's okay." Hideyoshi said in a hushed voice. "WHAT THE **** JUST HAPPENED?!"

* * *

A bit later, they arrived at an apartment complex that the girl Hideyoshi 'married' is supposedly staying at. As they were walking, a girl comes out talking on phone and notices them.

"I'll call you later." She said into the phone before greeting the guys. "There he is!" She took the baby out of Akihisa's hands and kissed the baby's forehead. "I missed you, sweety. And I missed you." She then kissed Hideyoshi like an animal.

Blood dripped from Kōta's nose.

"What happened to you guys?" She asked.

"... We've been asking ourselves that same question all day." Akihisa stated. "Albeit with more colorful language."

"I've got to feed James, come on." She welcomed them into her place.

"... I thought his name was Carlos..." Akihisa looked down.

Kōta then patted Akihisa on the shoulder. "It's okay... I thought he was a Carlos, too."

They all entered her messy apartment and sat on her couch.

"... I think that pile of lingerie just blinked..." Akihisa squealed under his breath.

"What's up with you guys?" She asked. "You've been acting weird since you got here."

"Listen, uh, Sapphire, right?" Hideyoshi asked. "You remember our friend Itsuki Kaito."

"Of course." The girl named Sapphire answered. "He was the best man at our fake wedding."

"Well, we can't find him and we're getting a little worried." Kōta told her. "Have you seen him since the wedding?"

"no, I can't say that I have." Sapphire answered.

"And what time was that?" Kōta inquired.

"I believe it was... around 1 because I had to go back to work to finish my shift." Sapphire stated. "And when I got out, I came to the hotel with James."

"Was Kaito there with us?" Kōta asked.

"No, I didn't see him, but you were all passed out on the floor and the place was a wreck." She responded. "So I just cuddled with Hideyoshi."

"I think she likes you." Akihisa said to Hideyoshi in a sing-song voice.

"Excuse me, but you said you worked late." Hideyoshi stated. "Are you a nurse? Night-shift at a 24-hour restaurant?"

...

"AAAAAHHHH!" Hideyoshi ran out of the place screaming, leaving everyone else in the room dumbfounded.

"... He took that better than I thought he would." Akihisa commented.

Police officers then barged into the apartment.

"Freeze! Freeze!"

* * *

At the Las Vegas Police Department, Akihisa, Kōta and Hideyoshi were all handcuffed to each other and Akihisa was also chained to a bench they were sitting on. Kōta was trying to make a phone call. Unfortunately for all of them, it was also the day of a school field trip.

"After we take the mugshots, this is where they wait to be interviewed by the arresting officers." A police officer said to the kids. "Trust me, kids. You do NOT want to be sitting on these benches."

The officer walks away and most of the children followed him except for a chubby boy that just looked at Akihisa.

"... Could you go back to your class, kid? You're kind of creeping me out." Akihisa said to him.

The kid tries to take a picture of him with his phone, but Akihisa kicks the phone out of his hand. The kid then walks away.

"Damn!" Kōta grumbled as he hung up the phone. "The girls aren't picking up their phones!"

* * *

The guys were brought into the interrogation room where the officers that arrested them, a white man and an African-American lady, were glaring at them.

"Gentlemen... and lady." He looked at Hideyoshi. "You said that your friend's name was Itsuki Kaito? The good news is we found a car that was rented out by your friend."

"I didn't know Kaito had a driver's license." Akihisa said.

"He might've told us last night... and we forgot." Hideyoshi said.

"We picked it up at 5 AM this morning." The male officer stated. "Parked in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard."

"Weird." Kōta simply said.

"Yeah, weird." The policeman said somewhat sarcastically. "And there was a note left saying 'I couldn't find a meter so here's $5 and a Kit Kat'. The guy ate the Kit Kat. But the bad news is we can't get you to a judge until Monday morning."

"Our flight back to Japan leaves Sunday night." Hideyoshi told them. "We can't do that."

"You stole a police car, morons." The policewoman pointed out.

"I think the word you're looking for is... 'found'." Akihisa said. "I think we deserve a reward."

"... You're right." The policeman said. "I'll let you all go..."

The three guys high-fived each other.

"On one condition. Do any of you have a heart condition?"

"... Huh?" All three boys said in unison.

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Hideyoshi screamed as a stun gun was stabbed into his neck and he fell over.

Apparently, they were sitting in a room filled with the field trip students and the one who electrocuted Hideyoshi was the policeman whom arrested them.

"You can also shoot them from a distance. Any volunteers?" The policeman asked the kids.

All of the kids raised their hands and he chose a little girl out of them. The policeman motioned Kōta to move forward.

"It's simple. All you have to do is point, aim and shoot." The policeman told the girl. "Just like palying _Call of Duty_ or _Halo_."

"But those are videos games, not real-" Kōta was about to say until the girl shot the stun gun at his crotch.

Kōta was electrocuted and fell to the ground. The policeman laughed hysterically at his misery.

"We got one more charge left." The officer told the kids. "Anyone else want to do some shootin'?"

More kids raised their hands and unfortunately for Yoshii, the kid picked was the boy whose phone he kicked.

"... Oh shit..." Akihisa squealed under his breath.

The boy shot the stun gun at Akihisa's face, electrocuting him and causing him to fall to the ground.

"And sometimes with the bigger guys, you got to give 'em more juice. Like this!" The policeman said before stabbing another stun gun into Akihisa's neck. "I know he's not a big guy; I just wanted to explain it in an amusing way."

*... This guy's an asshole...* Akihisa thought.

* * *

After all that suffering was done, the boys arrived at the impound to find the rental car that the police found.

"That was bullshit!" Hideyoshi growled before trying to regain his composure. "... I'm going to get a soda."

Hideyoshi walked away.

"... I'm worried about Kaito." Akihisa spoke up. "What if something bad happened to him? What if he's dead?"

"Don't think like that, Yoshii. I'm sure he's fine." Kōta assured him. "Like Jerry... from _Tom & Jerry_... that mouse always managed to mutilate that cat somehow... classic cartoon..."

"Why hasn't he called?" Akihisa asked.

"How much you want to bet that the car's nearly scrap metal by now?" Hideyoshi came back, sipping a can of soda.

They then hear the sound of a car approaching. Hideyoshi covered his eyes and kept repeating 'Can't be good'. When the car finally arrives, he sees that the rental car is still in perfect condition. It wasn't a fancy car, but it wasn't ugly either.

"Oh, good." Hideyoshi simply said when he saw it. "Glad something didn't have the crap beaten out of it."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"... What was that?" Akihisa asked.

The noise appeared again and it seemed like it was coming out of the trunk.

"... That might be Kaito!" Hideyoshi exclaimed.

They all opened the trunk of the car and-

"BWAHA!"

A naked Korean man jumped out onto Kōta's face and started beating him with the flat end of a tire iron. Kōta managed to get the guy off his face, but the guy hit Hideyoshi with the tire iron in the stomach and back, knocking him to the ground. Then he smacked the flat end of the tire iron into Kōta's face, knocking him to the ground. The man turns his attention to Akihisa and glares at him.

"You dare to **** with me?" The man asked.

"Nobody's going to... screw with you!" Akihisa panicked.

He throws the tire iron at Akihisa's face, causing him to fall to the ground, and he ran off. All the guys were in so much pain right now.

"... What the hell was that all about?" Hideyoshi wondered.

"Hey guys..." Akihisa spoke up. "I think I know how that pot and roofies got in our bodies... Remember those brownies I brought?"

Kōta and Hideyoshi then realized it, too.

"So... what you're saying is that this is all your fault?" Hideyoshi asked.

"... Looking back on it, yeah, but the guy never told me any of that stuff." Akihisa stated.

"Of course he wouldn't!" Kōta shouted. "Drug dealers don't tell people in public they sell drugs! You really ARE an idiot!"

"Let's just calm down." Hideyoshi said. "At least we weren't drugged by some stranger."

"... Yeah, let's just head back to the hotel." Kōta said.

* * *

They went back to the Paris Hotel and headed for their room.

"Wait, what about the tiger?" Akihisa brought up.

"Oh, crap, I forgot." Kōta groaned.

"How can you forget about the fact that a tiger is in our room?" Hideyoshi questioned. "That seems like something that would be very hard to forget."

Kōta carefully opened their room door and heard music playing. They looked over and saw a man over by the piano. (... Since when was there a piano there?) The man turns around and reveals himself.

"Mike Tyson?" Kōta asked the man.

"No, I'm just some black boxer." The man responded before punching Akihisa to the face. "Why's my tiger in your bathroom?"

"We don't remember." Hideyoshi told them. "We were drugged last night and we can't find our friend."

"People tend to do a lot of stupid things when they're effed up." Kōta stated. "Although in the case of Yoshii, he doesn't need to be on drugs to do stupid things. How'd you find us anyway?"

"I found this next to Tony's bed." The man hands them a slip of torn notebook paper.

"This is Kaito's handwriting." Hideyoshi realized. "He and Minami are the only ones able to write in these types of letters. Sir, would you mind if we could come to your house and look for clues regarding our missing friend?"

"How else are you going to bring Tony back?" The man asked as he left.

"... But you're here now." Hideyoshi pointed out. "Can't you just bring him back?"

"Yeah, I can be a lazy **** at times. Here's my address. Later." The boxer guy left after giving them a card with his name and address on it.

"... How are we supposed to get a tiger to the guy's house?" Kōta questioned. "What if he tries to kill us?"

* * *

Kōta drove the car with Akihisa, Hideyoshi and apparently Tony the Tiger as well in the passenger seats. They stopped in front of a fancy mansion.

"I'm glad you're so cooperative, Tony." Akihisa expressed. "If you were a real tiger, I'm sure the ride here would've been hell."

"Well, people do tend to do stupid things when they're on drugs." Tony said. "They're certainly not grrrrreat."

"That's what I said." Kōta stated.

They all went inside the mansion and the boxer guy opened the door.

"We're here." Akihisa greeted.

"How do you know Tony the Tiger anyway?" Hideyoshi asked.

"We're business partners." The boxer responded. "Anyway, time for me to hold up my end of the bargain." He showed them to his massive living room and he turned on the TV, which was replaying security footage.

The footage was of the three boys with Itsuki all laughing as they were walking on the mansion's lawn.

"Thank God Itsuki's alive." Hideyoshi said.

They continued to watch the footage, but when the part when Akihisa took a piss in the guy's pool came up, the real Akihisa quietly left the mansion. Then the footage of the leaving the mansion with Tony came up and they all entered the cop car.

"Where did you guys get a cop car?" The boxer asked.

"We stole it." Kōta answered.

"Nice!" The boxer smirked. "But that's pretty much the end of the tape. That's all we got."

"Thank you. This was very helpful." Hideyoshi told him. "Now we know that Itsuki was with us, alive, at 3:30. And I apologize for taking your tiger."

"Don't worry, man." The boxer said. "Like you said, we all do stupid shit when we're ****ed up."

* * *

A little while later, the guys were parked in front of a restaurant, ready to go inside and have something to eat.

"All right, we need to keep our strength up if we're to find Kaito." Hideyoshi suggested. "So we should have something to eat while we can."

Suddenly, a car rams into the side of their car. Thankfully no one got hurt. Korean men then exited the car and one of them happened to be the Korean man that popped out of the trunk earlier (thankfully wearing clothes this time).

"Get out of the car, please?" The man requested.

"... Well, since you said please." Akihisa simply spoke.

They all got out of the car.

"I want my purse back." The man leered at them.

"You mean this purse?" Akihisa held out a man purse.

"When the hell were you holding that? !" Hideyoshi asked.

"I found it while we picked up the car." Akihisa answered as he tossed the purse to the guy.

"... All the money's here. Thank you." The man said before heading back into the car.

"Wait, do you know anything about another Japanese guy that came with us?" Akihisa asked.

The man stopped walking. "... I do have a guy with me."

The henchmen following him opened the van and out came an African-American guy.

"That's not Itsuki." Kōta said.

"We did say he was Japanese." Akihisa stated.

"I said I had a guy, didn't say what race he was." The man got back into the van. "Tootaloo, mother ****eeeeeerrrrr!" He gobbled the last syllable like a turkey before they drove off.

"... Okay... W... T... F?" Akihisa simply said before looking at the guy. "Wait, that's the guy that gave me those brownies."

"Great, like that's important." Hideyoshi slumped next to the restaurant's outside walls. "We're never going to find him."

"You do realize you sold me drugs, right?" Akihisa asked the guy. "Those things were filled with weed and roofies!"

"Hey, man, it's your fault for being stupid." The guy said. "And I don't know why they call them roofies anyway. You're more than likely to end up on the floor than the roof."

Hideyoshi's face then lit up as if he had an epiphany. "I got it! I think I might know where Kaito might be!"

The three boys drove off to head back to the Paris Hotel.

* * *

However, they got lost and didn't get back to the hotel until mid-afternoon. They started running up the staircases of the hotel.

"We just had to stop and eat, didn't we?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Hey, we were all starving!" Akihisa argued. "I think we all needed it! We might have gotten here sooner if Kōta was able to find alternate routes better!"

"Hey, eff you, man!" Kōta responded.

They continued to make their way through the staircase until they reached the roof.

"The roof is the only place we've yet to check! Come on!" Hideyoshi told them.

They all scattered and looked around the roof.

"Hey, guys, you might want to see this!" Akihisa called to them.

They all ran over and saw a skeleton wearing a T-shirt and jeans lying against one of the radiators.

"We're too late..." Akihisa starts sobbing. "Why did this have to happen?! He was so young! He didn't even get to have sex with his girlfriend yet! Why! WHY!"

The three boys were mourning the loss of their friend.

"... What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Kaito?" Akihisa looked at the skeleton's face. "Are you speaking to us from beyond the grave?"

"... I'm right here, you goobers."

The three turned around and saw Itsuki standing next to Ayane.

"Itsuki!" They all shouted and gave him a group hug.

"We thought you were dead!" Akihisa cried.

"Where have you been this whole time?" Kōta asked.

"I could ask the same thing about you." Itsuki responded. "Me and the girls tried calling you, but none of you responded."

"But your phone was in our room." Hideyoshi pointed out.

"You guys took it last night and started playing keepaway with it during dinner. You never gave it back to me." Itsuki stated. "I went back the next morning and got it, but none of you were there. However, there was a chicken strutting around the room and a tiger in the bathroom."

"Wait, how did we not receive any calls?" Hideyoshi questioned.

"Were your phones on vibrate?" Itsuki asked.

"... Oh my God." Kōta slumped over like he felt like an idiot. "You can never know when you're getting a call or text while you're standing when you leave them like that."

"We were all over Vegas searching for you!" Akihisa exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"I went to get a soda and Ayane bumped into me." Itsuki answered. "She wanted me to stay in her room, so Mizuki stayed in Minami's room and I was with her in her room."

"I'm sorry, Kaito." Akihisa looked down. "I bought those drugged brownies... It's because of me that you missed EVO."

"What are you talking about?" Itsuki asked. "I didn't miss it! The tournament just finished."

"Really? How'd you do?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I think we'll save that for next chapter." Ayane said. "This chapter's gone on long enough as it is."


	11. Chapter 11: EVOlution - Part 1

**Got the next chapter up! I'm sorry this one took a bit longer than you might have expected. I wanted to wait until EVO actually came to finish writing this so I would be more pumped when writing the fights. Note: There are a couple of inaccuracies between the EVO in this story and the real life EVO, but I hope you won't find it bothersome to the tale at all. However, I will use the names/aliases of actual fighting game players. Speaking of which, I would like to take this time to honor the EVO 2013 champions: Yume (Persona 4 Arena), Crazy DJT 88 (Mortal Kombat), Knee (Tekken Tag Tournament 2), Infiltration (Street Fighter X Tekken), Reynald (King of Fighters XIII), Mango (Super Smash Bros. Melee), KDZ (Injustice: Gods Among Us), Flocker (Ultimate Marvel bs Capcom 3) and Xian (Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition 2012)... Yes, those are indeed aliases. Another note is that this chapter gets a bit... mature at certain points. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and please review. Not many of you have been reviewing my chapters as of late.**

* * *

Ayane was walking down the hallway of the Paris Hotel.

"The guys sure were acting strange at dinner last night." Ayane said to herself. "I wonder what's going on with them. Huh?"

Ayane notices Itsuki over by a vending machine.

"Man, I am so hungry!" Itsuki groaned. "What's even weirder is that I just ate!"

"Itsuki?" Ayane asked as she walked over to him. "What are you doing?"

"This stupid vending machine won't take my order." Itsuki banged on the vending machine once.

"It's 5 in the morning, though." Ayane pointed out.

"I got the munchies..." Itsuki said. "The real question is why are YOU up?"

"I was worried about you." Ayane said. "Where have you guys been?"

Itsuki looked like he was trying to remember. "... For some reason, I don't effin' remember, but I know the other guys are back in the hotel room."

"Itsuki, you're not yourself. None of you guys are. You better come sleep in my room tonight."

"But I'm fine... except for being hungry."

Ayane started to press buttons on her cell phone. "... Himeji? Hi, it's Ayane. Listen, do you think you could move into Shimada's room for tonight? Itsuki's not doing so well and Akihisa's with the other guys and I want him to sleep in my room for tonight... Itsuki, not Akihisa... Okay, thank you very much. And sorry for waking you up so suddenly..." Ayane then started whispering into her phone. "... I don't know if we're going to get busy, he might be too high for that... Okay, thanks again, bye." Ayane hung up her phone. "Congratulations, Itsuki. Your first day with a girlfriend and you get to sleep with her tonight."

Itsuki then chuckled some sort of stoned laughter. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, I'd prefer it if we had our first time when you weren't... high."

"... Okay... I mean, I've already waited more than 16 years to sleep with a girl... maybe even Hideyoshi... What's a few more days or weeks... or months?"

"Actually... there might be something else we can do..." Ayane seductively moved her finger across Itsuki's chest.

She then grabbed Itsuki's hand and lead him to her hotel room. When Ayane closed the door, she went over to the bed.

"So, uh... what are we going to do?" Itsuki asked.

Itsuki then saw Ayane taking her shirt, skirt, shoes and socks off, revealing her sexy dark purple bra and panties.

"W... wow..." Itsuki simply said.

"This place is really hot." Ayane stated. "Isn't it ideal to sleep half naked?"

"Uh, y-yeah, good point." Itsuki said as he started to strip down into his underwear.

*OH MY GOD! Seeing Itsuk's body is making me hornier than I've ever been in my life!* Ayane thought before speaking. "Lie down."

Itsuki did as she said and laid on the bed.

"This is a really nice bed." Itsuki said.

"Now turn away from me."

"Why would I turn away from you? I won't be able to appreciate you."

"Aw, thank you." Ayane tapped Itsuki, signaling him to turn the other way. She then got into the bed with Itsuki, who was facing the other way, and wrapped her arms around his body, rubbing his chest with her hands. *I'm touching him! Now I'm even more horny!* "How does this feel?"

Itsuki could feel Ayane's large breasts pressing against his bare back. "V-very good. Perfect even."

"Are you talking about lying in bed together half naked or me?"

"Mm, both."

"Itsuki, what is it about me that you like so much?"

"Well, everything. To start, you're smart, courteous, considerate, caring and, most of all, brave. You had the courage to express how you feel while I only admitted it once I knew you like me."

"So you've actually liked me for a while now?"

"Well, yeah. When I first met you, you were someone I could relate to among the Class F students. I guess somewhere along the way I started to fall in love with you."

"Itsuki... did you say 'fall in love'?"

"... Oh damn, I blurted it out too soon! Now you're going to think I'm taking things too fast and-"

"Itsuki! Answer me this first... when you said you fell in love with me, did that come from the drugs or your heart?"

"Letting it out is definitely the drugs, but the 'fall in love' part is from the bottom of my heart."

"... Itsuki... you don't know how much that means to me because... I love you, too." Ayane then used her toes to take off Itsuki's underwear.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Just helping you out with something."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Japan where it was about 9 at night, Hinata was reading a manga until she looked up from it.

"... I sense a disturbance in the Force."

* * *

About two hours later, Ayane and Itsuki were sound asleep until Itsuki slowly wakes up and looks at the hotel's alarm clock. The clock read '7:00'.

"... Ayane?" Itsuki spoke up.

Ayane slowly began to wake up herself. "Yes?"

"What time do the tournaments start?"

"8, why do you..." Ayane's eyes widened and she quickly got out of bed. "Oh crap! We're going to be late!"

Itsuki also got out of bed and started to put all of his clothes back on. Ayane did the same.

"What about brushing our teeth and getting breakfast?" Itsuki asked.

"I don't think we'll have enough time!" Ayane responded. "We'll just have to get Mountain Dew, some candy bars and breath mints in the hotel gift shop!"

"Good enough for me. I'm always game for Mountain Dew, er, no pun intended."

"Hehe, you're so cute, Itsuki. That's one of the reason I love you so much."

* * *

After getting dressed and getting themselves some energy-boosting snacks, Itsuki and Ayane quickly made their way to the conference center so they could sign up for their respective tournaments. Fortunately, they made it in time to sign up for the tournament.

"Sorry if we're late!" Ayane told the signup guy. "We kind of slept in."

"Luckily, you managed to make it just in time." The guy said. "Just sign your names and nicknames on this list for your tournaments and I'll check the computer system to see if you qualify."

Thankfully, they did manage to qualify and sign up their respective names and nicknames. As they walked away, several interviewers suddenly appeared in front of Ayane.

"Girl, what's your name?" One of the journalists asked.

"Um, Ayane Fukushima, otherwise known as 'Mistress Kunoichi'." Ayane responded.

"Ms. Fukushima, how does it feel to be one of the only two female entrants of ANY EVO tournament?" The journalist asked.

"Wait, 'two'?" Ayane asked.

"You don't know?" Another journalist asked. "Entering in just about every game in this tournament is the only other female entrant, Yun 'Queen of Hearts' Cho."

"Who's this Yun?" Ayane asked.

Everyone just fell silent.

"Hah, are you serious?" Another journalist questioned. "Over the last year, she's risen through the fighting game ranks to become the best player in Korea and has become one of the best players in the world. She calls herself 'Queen of Hearts' because her skills have become an inspiration for other female fighting game fans, capturing the hearts of both men and women alike in the fighting game community. Now, Ms. Fukushima, do you have any comments to make on your upcoming opponent?"

"Uh..." Ayane wasn't a hundred-percent sure what to say. "I say... bring it on?"

"... That'll work." The journalists muttered as they took off.

"God, I hate paparazzi." Itsuki expressed. "They always got to stick their noses into people's business, like Pinocchio. You know what? That was a terrible joke. It was just not funny. So, let's just forget I ever said it."

"Um, Itsuki..." Ayane spoke up. "I know this isn't the place to talk about it, but... what did you think about last night?"

"Well... I don't remember anything between dinner and meeting with you earlier."

"No, I mean... how 'I pleasured you for you'?"

"... All I have to say is... You really know how to use those hands."

_WWWWWHHHHOOOOO!_

Itsuki and Ayane looked around to find the source of the noise, but it seemed like nobody around them had said anything.

"What was that?" Ayane asked.

"I think it was canned applause from some sitcom." Itsuki guessed.

* * *

Itsuki and Ayane finally made their way to the conference area where the tournaments would be held.

"I can't believe that I'm actually here right now." Ayane spoke up. "I've always dreamed of coming to this stage and facing off against the world's best players."

"Well now that dream's a reality." Itsuki stated.

"That's not my only dream that became a reality." Ayane said that while looking directly at Itsuki's face.

A finger then tapped on Itsuki's shoulders.

"Excuse me, do you know where my father is?"

Itsuki turned around to see a Korean girl with glistening brown hair and an adorable face.

"I-I'm sorry?" Itsuki asked.

"Oh, you remember me, silly." The girl chuckled a bit.

"I-I'm really sorry, but I may have been drugged last night and I don't remember a thing." Itsuki told her. "Although, I would be interested in exactly what happened."

"... You don't remember anything?" She asked.

"No, I'm sorry." Itsuki apologized.

"... I can tell you're being honest with me, so I'll refresh your memory." She started. "Last night, while my father took me to a bar to meet with his friends, you came in with three other guys. At some point, my father all took a liking to you all, saying so much as you should marry me. Which is unusual considering Koreans aren't into mixing blood."

Due to selective hearing, Ayane quickly turned to the girl with daggers in her eyes. "What?"

"Um, who are you?" The girl asked Ayane.

"I am this man's girlfriend." Ayane stated.

"Wait, are you sure your father meant one of my other friends?" Itsuki asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was you because one was an idiot, another was a pervert and the other one was a transvestite." The girl responded. "Anyway, my father took a drive with you guys, but he never came back."

"I really wish I could remember, but I'm afraid that I can't." Itsuki told her. "I'm deeply sorry, but maybe you could file for a missing person to the LVPD."

"... Yeeaaah..." The girl said with a weird grin.

"Anyway, you can't have Itsuki because he was my boyfriend long before he ever met you." Ayane scolded her.

*That was only a difference of a few hours!* Itsuki thought. "Wait, I didn't do anything with you, did I?"

"I kind of wish you did." The girl answered. "I mean, you ARE pretty cute. And recent examination tells me you're very sweet."

"Hold on there, Seoul slut!" Ayane shouted. "Who do you think you are, hitting on my boyfriend?!"

"Seriously?" The girl asked. "You're here at the biggest fighting game event in the world and you don't know who I am? I am _Yun Cho _(Age 16), also known as 'Queen of Hearts'."

"Y-you're Yun Cho?!" Ayane asked. "Then that means... We might end up facing each other in the tournament!"

"Ah, so you're that other female player I heard about." Yun realized. "How about a little wager? During the course of the _Super Street Fighter IV_ tournament, whichever of us remains in the tournament... gets him." Yun latched onto Itsuki's left arm.

"You're on, bitch!" Ayane shouted.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Itsuki asked.

"Well, I won't be able to trash talk you much." Yun said. "I've got several tournaments to win."

"Which ones?" Itsuki asked.

"... All of them." Yun simply answered before leaving.

"Wait..." Itsuki spoke up. "... but that would mean today she'd be fighting in _Super Street Fighter IV_, _Mortal Kombat_, _Super Smash Bros. Melee_, _Tekken Tag Tournament 2_ and... _Persona 4 Arena_. I'm going to have to fight her, too!"

"Then let's give each other a little encouragement." Ayane said.

Ayane then gave Itsuki a hug and a big kiss on the lips and Itsuki instantly started to kiss her back.

"... LET'S DO THIS!" Itsuki shouted.

* * *

The first thing that was being done that morning were the qualifying pools for, full title, _Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition 2012_, which Ayane participated in. The schedule for that game would require her to play the entire day unless she got knocked out. In the meantime at about 4 in the afternoon, Itsuki was mentally preparing himself for his eventual fights in the _Persona 4 Arena_ tournament. He looked at his fellow competitors, including Yun, whom notices him and blows him a kiss. The rules of the tournaments were a simple double elimination, in which losing a main bracket fight would send you into the losers bracket for a chance at redemption. The 16 combatants looked at the bracket and, sure enough, Itsuki would be facing Yun in the first round. Itsuki sat down in front of the TV set with the game already set up and Yun took a seat next to him, connecting her arcade stick to the console.

"Well, I didn't know you'd be entering this tournament." She said. "Maybe all I need is for you to drop out of the tournament to be my boyfriend. Perhaps I could train you and make you feel like a real man."

"Hey, Ayane's still in this." Itsuki pointed out. "She managed to make her way through the pool."

"We'll see when she has to fight some of the sharks here."

Itsuki pulled out a controller and just about everyone else in the audience started booing him.

"SHUT UP!" Itsuki yelled at them. "There is NOTHING WRONG with playing a fighting game with a controller! One of the guys from the _Street Fighter_ 25th anniversary tournament played with a controller and he made it to the Top 4! So don't judge someone just because of their play preference, you arcade purists!"

Both Itsuki and Yun chose their button schemes and characters, with Itsuki playing as Elizabeth and Yun playing as Shadow Labrys (Look up the game and you can see which characters I'm talking about). As the two faced off, there were commentators talking over a live stream of the tournament.

"This will certainly be an interesting match to watch." One of the commentators said. "Yun Cho is in the running for possibly one of the best players in not just her home country of Korea, but the world."

"Yeah, and this new guy I haven't even heard about." The other commentator added. "He must have been only interested in _Persona 4 Arena_, but he did manage to qualify for EVO after the pools, so it's impressive that he was able to make it this far. Even if he drops out of the tournament, he still has quite a bit to be proud of."

"I agree, for a new person to compete at EVO is like jumping into a sea infested with sharks." The first commentator stated. "To survive long enough to be on of the top 16 is no easy task. If he's at least able to hold his own against the Queen of Hearts, that's even more to be proud of."

"Yeah, she might be feeling a bit cocky after her dominating victory in the _Tekken Tag 2_ finals, but there's no telling for sure." The other commentator said. "Although spiralgamer has chosen a very odd character. Elizabeth is a low tier character, so let's hope he knows how to use her effectively."

It was a tough fight for both of them with both players winning one match out of thee and it was the final round of the final match, but by a surprise miracle, and Yun briefly letting her guard down, Itsuki was able to emerge victorious.

"Holy crap! I can't believe it!" The first commentator exclaimed. "The newcomer just barely beat one of the favorites to win the tournament!"

"It just goes to show that any character can be good given that the player is skilled enough with it." The other commentator stated. "Except Dan in _Street Fighter_, because he's seriously lame. Anyway, that kicks Yun into Losers Bracket, so she does have a chance to make a comeback."

As Itsuki detached the controller, Yun held her hand out.

"Good game." She said.

"You're taking this much better than I thought you would." Itsuki said.

"I still have a chance to redeem myself, plus everyone loses." She told him. "Losing is how we learn. Now I know not to let my guard down."

Itsuki looked at her hand again and shook it. "That was a good game."

"You haven't seen the last of me. I can make my way to the top of the Losers Bracket with ease."

"You see there."

* * *

It was down to the Top 8 and Itsuki would have to fight against another high-level player.

*Damn, I'm up against Arc System Works game legend Lord Knight.* Itsuki thought. *Yet another tough fight on my hands, but I'd expect nothing but the best at EVO.* Both players were at the game's character select screen. *Going with her, eh? I better go with someone sturdier than Elizabeth. Probably my best bet is to use Kanji. His powerful grapples will allow me to deal a lot of damage and his Dragon Punch move is useful at close range. Just have to make sure I don't crouch too often and give him an opportunity to deal that huge combo damage.*

Itsuki's strategy enabled him to come out of the fight victorious, though again it was a down to the wire match.

"Whew, good game." Itsuki shook Lord Knight's hand. "I'd expect nothing less from one of the best players at ArcSys games."

And so he was kicked into Losers Bracket, out of the losing players, Yun and another moved on to the next round. Yun ended up facing Lord Knight in the Losers Bracket and once again emerged victorious.

* * *

Down to the top 4, Itsuki faced off against another tough opponent, but this time he was defeated pretty easily by his opponent's swift, complex movements and combos that Itsuki had a hard time trying to block or dodge. This loss resulted him in facing off against Yun once again in the Losers Bracket.

"We face off once more." She said. "And once I beat you, I'm taking you back to my hotel room with me. Maybe we can have some 'fun'."

"We'll see about that." Itsuki responded before thinking to himself. *She's not going to fall for my Elizabeth play again, so I better go with Kanji. After all, it might be a better matchup anyway since Shadow Labrys has like the second lowest health in the game.*

Once again, a tough battle ensued and Itsuki was able to take the match 3-1.

"Whew, that certainly wasn't easy." Itsuki sighed as he took several gulps of bottled water. "You were still just as strong this time."

"Interesting..." She spoke. "What you lack in certain aspects of manual dexterity you more than make up for in knowledge. It's an interesting play style... I'll have to face off against you regularly so that we may both improve each other's skills."

"Heh, now that I like the sound of." Itsuki said as the two shook hands once more.

Itsuki went on to the Grand Finals to face off against the same person who defeated him. He lost once more to him 3-0.

*... You know what?* Itsuki thought to himself. *I don't feel bad that I lost. I mean, I came in second place in the world's biggest fighting game tournament. That's something to be proud of, not ashamed of at all. I can't wait to tell the others how well I did. Ayane will also get a kick out of hearing how I managed to beat Yun not once, but twice.*

* * *

Itsuki went back to Ayane, who was waiting for her next chance to participate, and told her everything that had transpired during his tournament.

"You came in second? Congratulation!" Ayane gave him a massive hug. "I knew you could do it! And you beat that tramp, too!"

"How have you been doing in the pools?" Itsuki asked.

"I've won every match I've participated in." Ayane said, pumping her fists. "I made it into the top 16 easy."

"Yun's been doing pretty well herself." Itsuki stated. "She's certainly no pushover. And I'm speaking from experience."

"Maybe I could use a little more encouragement."

Itsuki gave Ayane another huge kiss on the lips.

"I can't fail now!" Ayane exclaimed. "Let's do this!"

Over the course of the next few hours, Ayane had fought her way through the top 16 and top 8, as well as Yun. They weren't all easy, but Ayane managed to take each of her matches convincingly.

* * *

At 11 at night, Itsuki and Ayane were heading back to their rooms.

"Ayane, would you mind if I stayed here in your room again tonight?" Itsuki asked. "When I went back to the room to get my phone, the place was a mess, there was a chicken strutting around and there was a tiger in the bathroom."

"... What did you guys do last night?" Ayane asked.

"I don't remember a thing." Itsuki responded.

"Of course you can stay in my room." Ayane said as she unlocked the door and both she and Itsuki went inside.

Once they were inside, Ayane locked the door.

"Damn, I could really go for a bath right about now." Itsuki said. "And once that's done, I'm heading to sleep."

"I couldn't agree more." Ayane said. "How about I join you?"

"Huh?"

Ayane started to strip down until she was completely naked and walked over to Itsuki, starting to take off his clothes. "Why don't we have some fun while we have the chance? We'll never know when we'll get another chance to be alone like this."

"A-are you sure?"

"Don't worry about protection..." Ayane leaned toward Itsuki's ear and whispered. "I'm on the pill."

Itsuki and Ayane immediately started intimately kissing and went into the bathroom to take 'the best bath of his life'.

* * *

Back in Japan, Hinata suddenly woke up from her sleep.

"I sense something terrible has happened." She said. "... Itsuki's lost his virginity... and not by me!"

* * *

The next morning when the sun rose at 6:30 in the morning, Itsuki and Ayane were lying in their bed, their completely nude bodies covered by the sheets. Itsuki slowly opened his eyes, looked at Ayane's face and smiled. He then gave her a light kiss on the lips and she started to kiss him back.

"Good morning, Itsuki." Ayane smiled. "I still can't believe we actually did it last night."

"I believe it less than you do." Itsuki said.

"I also can't believe how many times we did it."

"Well... I was quite motivated... and the birth control helped."

Ayane chuckled little bit and the two kissed again. "We still have a little while before the tournaments start up again."

"Will we be doing anything there, though?"

"We can always watch people play, help us improve our game plans. But as I said, it'll still be a while before they start, so how about we go for round 4?"

Itsuki suggestively chuckled and he and Ayane started kissing and caressing each other again.

* * *

After having their early morning... 'fun', Itsuki and Ayane were walking down the hallways of the Paris Hotel.

"You want to grab breakfast real quick before we head to the convention center?" Itsuki asked.

"Sure." Ayane nodded.

Just then, they saw Akihisa, Kōta and Hideyoshi zip right past them.

"... What the hell was that about?" Itsuki wondered. "Let's go check it out."

* * *

The two followed the three guys all the way up to the roof of the Paris and saw them mourning over a clothed skeleton.

"What the..." Itsuki muttered as he walked over.

* * *

"-and that's what happened." Itsuki told Akihisa, Kōta and Hideyoshi.

"Haha! You came in second place!" Yoshii laughed.

"Ignore Yoshii." Hideyoshi said. "To hold your own against guys like that and get second place is quite an accomplishment."

"Thanks." Itsuki responded.

"Wait, if you're here, then who's that guy?" Akihisa inquired, pointing to the skeleton.

"... I don't know. Some guy named 'Doug' maybe." Itsuki shrugged. "Nobody could survive a day up here in the heat, completely dehydrated and malnourished. That's probably one of the biggest holes in _The Hangover_."

"Oh, by the way, Yoshii." Ayane spoke up. "The girls wanted me to tell you something... What was it? ... Something about you showing them your 'meat stick' or something? ..."

"Like a... pepperoni stick?" Akihisa asked.

"... I'm thinking it was more of a 'bone stick'." Itsuki guessed.

Ayane was thinking for a moment and realized something upon hearing Itsuki's words. "... Oh my God! You exhibitionist!"

"... What?!" Akihisa exclaimed.


	12. Chapter 12: EVOlution - Part 2

**I'm REALLY sorry this took so long. My friend made me do this thing for one of his stories and I've also been on fire with my other story. And in the last week of writing this, I got both _Dragon's Crown_ and _Tales of Xillia_ and I'm becoming helplessly addicted to both of them. This chapter was kind of a rush job so I could get it to you all without any of you feeling that I've abandoned you. I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

After finally finding each other, Itsuki, Ayane, Akihisa, Kōta and Hideyoshi were all walking down the hallways of the Paris Hotel to the convention center.

"You mean I showed Himeji and Shimada my crown jewels?!" Akihisa was still panicking.

"Don't take it so seriously." Itsuki told him. "You were their first naked boy and I don't think they'd have any complaints about it."

"Although that did get you kicked out of our dinner." Ayane stated.

"I DID THAT DURING DINNER?! IN A RESTAURANT?!" Akihisa panicked. "IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE?!"

"Do you want to know what the girls told me about your 'manhood'?" Ayane asked.

"Great." Akihisa started to look kind of depressed. "Now they've seen how small I am."

"Actually, they thought the size was perfect." Ayane told him. "'Not too big, but not too small', is what they said. And even though I was forced to see yours... I still think someone else's looks better." Ayane then winked at Itsuki and he just blushed.

"You know what you should do, Yoshii?" Itsuki spoke up. "You should hang out with Minami and Himeji. To pretty much everyone except you, it's clear that those two really like you. I mean, you're in Vegas! Take them out on the town."

"Well, I suppose we could all try to find something here we can do that doesn't involve adult-only places." Akihisa responded. "... Or anywhere we've been two nights ago."

"All right then." Itsuki said. "Akihisa, you go to the girls' room while Ayane and I head over to where all the fighting game players are virtually beating each other up in an attempt to prove which one of them is the best. Just like the gladiators of Rome."

_(Begin Skit)_

_A large number of Roman gladiators were fighting to the death in the Colosseum. At one point, two of the gladiators are about to attack each other before they suddenly recognized each other._

_"Hey, what are you doing here?" The first gladiator smiled at meeting the other._

_"I'm fighting and killing for money." The second gladiator responded. "What are you doing?"_

_"Fighting and killing for money." The first gladiator answered. "It's good to see you. How are the kids?"_

_"This is boring!" The morbidly obese king shouted as he lied in his viewing balcony, eating large bowls of fruit. "Send out the lion!"_

_A massive lion pounced on the two gladiators and ate their faces off._

_(End Skit)_

* * *

Itsuki and Ayane went back to the conference room where everybody was playing and watching the games, accompanied by Kōta and Hideyoshi. The latter two just looked around at all of the people that came for this grand event.

"Wow, for a gaming event, I didn't expect this many people." Hideyoshi commented.

"For fighting game players, this is like the Super Bowl." Itsuki stated. "Only there are people from all over the world here instead of just Americans huddled in a massive stadium."

"EVO is the biggest fighting game event in the world." Ayane added. "All of the best players come here to test their skills against each other. Anyone who walks away from their tournament in first place is pretty much the best player in the world."

"So it's to make people who do nothing but play video games feel good about themselves?" Hideyoshi asked.

Ayane and Itsuki stayed silent after that last comment by Hideyoshi.

"... Okay, that was just plain offensive." Itsuki said. "I have a job."

"And are you as good as these other guys?" Hideyoshi asked.

"... Nowhere near." Itsuki answered. "And I would advise you both to not repeat that statement in front of other people here. That's be like saying the 'N' word around a bunch of African-American guys."

"Why not just say 'black guys'?" Kōta inquired.

"Because it's a more appropriate and less offensive term." Itsuki responded.

"Are you guys playing in anything?" Hideyoshi asked.

"No, we're just here to spectate today." Ayane answered. "Right now should be the _Marvel_ fights."

"Isn't that the superhero game?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Actually, there are two different games with superheroes." Itsuki stated. "There's _Injustice_, which is based on DC superheroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. And the one Ayane mentioned is _Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3_, which is based on Marvel heroes like Spiderman, the Avengers and the X-Men."

"Are the two comic universes connected?"

"No, but people are pretty much begging for a crossover between the two comic giants right now." Itsuki said before looking at the reader. "You hear that, Marvel and DC? Even here, people are asking for you two to collaborate on a crossover. It doesn't even have to be a comic book series. You could make it into any medium you want. A movie, a television special, a fighting game, anything will do as long as it happens and it's good."

* * *

In the hotel room Mizuki and Minami were staying in, the two girls were just watching something on the television.

"... Wow, they were right. Most American cartoons today really do suck." Minami spoke.

"That one that's called _The Regular Show_, isn't regular at all." Mizuki stated. "It was trying to be funny when it was just being really weird. And why are the main characters a bluejay and a raccoon and another character is a walking, talking gumball machine?"

"... I don't think we want to know." Minami answered.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Himeji, Shimada, it's me, Yoshii." Akihisa said from behind the door. "Can I come in? I need to talk to you two."

"Come on in." Minami responded.

Akihisa opened the door, entered the room and closed the door. "Listen, I'm sorry about what I did at dinner the other night."

"What happened to you guys?" Minami inquired. "You weren't acting like yourselves. You were all acting like goofballs... Well, you kind of always act like goofballs, but at least then you guys were civilized."

"Yeah..." Akihisa said. "We were kind of drugged."

"You were doing drugs?!" Mizuki gasped with concern, with Minami gasping along with her.

"No... not intentionally anyway." Akihisa replied. "I didn't know he put 'em in the brownies. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you guys wanted to go anywhere. I mean, even in Vegas, there's got to be something for people our age."

"I would love to see the fountains of the Bellagio." Mizuki said. "I heard they're supposed to occur every 15 to 30 minutes."

"So even if we miss it, we won't have to wait that long for the next one!" Akihisa exclaimed. "That's genius on their part! And yet Disney can't even serve beer just for the adults there."

"Why'd you bring that up?" Minami asked.

"... I don't know..." Akihisa was confused in wonder. "Wait, how much is it for admission to the fountain?"

Mizuki checked the Las Vegas brochure. "It's free."

"Even better to go!" Akihisa shouted before thinking to himself. *Now I won't have to pay any of the money I've been saving up! ... Wow, I'm cheap. But then again, I'm still unemployed... Which reminds me. When is itsuki going to finally get me a job?*

* * *

Back at the Paris Hotel convention center, as Itsuki and Ayane were watching the fights going on, Hideyoshi was getting everyone snacks.

"I can't believe how many guys tried to hit on me on the way here." Hideyoshi muttered as he paid the concessions clerk and picked up the snacks. "Where's Kōta anyway?"

Sure enough, Hideyoshi saw Kōta taking pictures of girls in cosplay outfits and sneaking panty shots of the girls wearing skirts.

"... Of course." Hideyoshi said. "How come no one ever notices when he does that? I mean, he usually suffers from nosebleeds afterwards." Hideyoshi then saw Kōta fall on the floor with blood pouring from his nose and onto the floor. Hideyoshi went to pick him up and carry him back to their friends. "No need to worry, people. He's fine. Just a nosebleed. Nothing to see here."

Hideyoshi carried Kōta away before anyone would get suspicions.

Back in the seats where Ayane and Itsuki were sitting in, they noticed a familiar face go up to the stage for their fight.

"Wait, isn't that..." Itsuki stretched his head to get a good glimpse of who it was. "It's Yun!"

"Her?!" Ayane exclaimed. "If she comes up to talk to you, tell her that you're already taken."

"I-I think she's already aware that you're my girlfriend." Itsuki stated. "... I probably should have just kept my mouth shut. If TV has taught me anything, it's to never correct or question a woman."

"Good thing you know that." Ayane said. "You sure know what women do and don't like. You'll make an excellent boyfriend." Ayane started seductively stroking his chest.

"... I just realized something." Itsuki said.

"What is that?"

"If the Inquisition ever finds out about this... they're going to kill me."

"Oh yeah, that's right. You're a member."

"WAS a member. I only joined them because we were all lonely and thought girls didn't like us. Same thing for Yoshii, too. But you've changed my way of thinking. It's because of you that I have a more positive outlook on my future and my life."

"Itsuki, you're such a romantic. I don't see why girls wouldn't like you. You always seem to know what we like. I'm just happy that I can make you happy because you deserve happiness as much as anyone." Ayane gave him a peck on the lips.

"And Queen of Hearts takes the match!" The announcer said.

"Holy crap! That was quick!" Itsuki reacted. "It was like it was over before it even started! Just imagine if you had to go up against her in _Street Fighter_."

"I won't lose." Ayane said. "I'll stake my life on it. Just like Archie Karas."

_(Begin Skit)_

_It was mid 1995 and Archie Karas was standing in the middle of a casino in Las Vegas._

_"I'll bet $20 million on the dice, $2 million on Chip Reese and $17 million on baccarat." Archie said. "Luck is MY lady tonight."_

_(End Skit)_

Hideyoshi came back to the seats with Kōta and the snacks.

"What happe-You know what, stupid question." Itsuki said. "Just set him down in that chair."

Hideyoshi laid Kōta in a chair and took the seat between him and Ayane. "How have the matches been going?"

"The Korean girl that hit on Itsuki just took the last round." Ayane answered.

"The thing about _Marvel_ is that if even one of your opponent's attacks connects, it's game over for your current character." Itsuki stated. "Based on how quickly she soundly beat her opponent, it's clear that she has some incredible skills. It's like she's been playing these types of games her whole life and nothing else."

"Do you think she just doesn't have a life outside of the house?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Or maybe she just only plays fighting games." Itsuki interjected. "If you focus solely on a particular set of skills necessary for one type of genre or fighting style, your skills will be incredibly sharp in that area, but very dull in others. Meaning that if she only plays fighting games, she'll be exceptionally skilled at those types of games, but she won't be able to handle herself well in other genres. It's actually quite common in terms of not just games, but anything in general. Even school can be applied to it."

"But what about the people who get good grades in everything?" Hideyoshi asked.

"There are exceptions." Itsuki answered. "Those exceptions are students who do really well like Himeji and Shōko... and those that do really bad like Yoshii."

"I think I get it now." Hideyoshi said.

* * *

Later that night, the four of them all reunited with Akihisa, Mizuki and Minami for dinner at a fancy restaurant. Itsuki was eating the breadsticks they were serving.

"I never realized how good _Olive Garden_ was." Itsuki said. "These breadsticks are fantastic. I can't speak for the pasta, but then again, who would when the breadsticks are so good, you'll be too full to eat anything else?" Itsuki put some salt on his breadstick, which confused everyone else a bit. "... What? Different people have different ways of eating things. At least this isn't gross by any means. You should see people who chew pepperoni pizza, spit it out onto a plate and eat it all up when there aren't any slices left."

"Who would do a thing like that?" Hideyoshi inquired.

When Hideyoshi asked that, Akihisa froze just as he was about to put a fork full of pasta in his mouth.

"You better make sure you eat, Ayane." Itsuki said to his girlfriend. "You'll need to keep your strength up for tomorrow's fight."

"Good point." Ayane agreed. "If I'm going to defeat the likes of Yun, I'll need every bit of strength I've got."

"In other news, Yoshii, how was your date with Shimada and Himeji?" Itsuki asked.

"It wasn't a date." Akihisa clarified. "It was just me hanging out with friends that are girls."

"We got to see the fountains at the Bellagio." Mizuki smiled.

"And then we went to the botanical gardens." Minami stated. "The plants and flowers there were so beautiful."

"Except for one." Akihisa said.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_A tour guide was showing people are the botanical garden._

_"... and make sure you watch out of the pods." The tour guide said. "The big yellow ones."_

_"What big yellow ones?" Minami asked._

_"YAAAH!" Akihisa screamed as a vine wrapped around his leg and dragged him off somewhere._

_(End Flashback)_

"Lucky for me Minami had a sword and cut the vine before the thing could eat me." Akihisa said.

"And after that, we went to the movies." Mizuki said. "We saw _The Lone Ranger_."

"The one with Johnny Depp?" Itsuki asked.

"Yeah." Akihisa responded. "I don't understand why critics have been trashing it so much. We all thought it was actually a decent movie."

"Maybe it's because the critics have been getting tired of anything related to _Pirates of the Caribbean_." Itsuki commented. "And while we're on the subject of movie trilogies getting fourth installments, I actually enjoyed the recent _Indiana Jones_ flick. It's really the diehard Indy fans that hate it. I'm guessing Shia LaBeouf had something to do with it."

"What would you say about _Star Wars_?" Kōta inquired.

"I enjoyed all of them, including the prequels." Itsuki answered. "I know that _The Phantom Menace_ and _Attack of the Clones_ aren't the best installments in the franchise, but at the very least it shows how political corruption from within changed the Republic into the Empire. As well as introducing certain concepts that deepen the overall mythos. Adding layers of complexity to a universe is necessary to weaving a story with an interesting world."

"You sound like you speak from experience." Hideyoshi said.

"Eh, not really. I'm just feeding the lines that the writers gave me."

* * *

Back in Ayane's hotel room, she was lying in bed with Itsuki, both in thin shirts and their underwear because of the heat that came with Las Vegas. Ayane was on her side, just staring at the wall and thinking.

"... Itsuki?" Ayane finally spoke.

"Hm?" Itsuki hummed to confirm that he heard her.

"I'm surprised that you haven't made a move yet tonight."

"Relationships aren't just about sex. Although that might be my passiveness speaking. If you'd like, I could start being more forward about that... Did you ask me that because you want to have sex?"

Ayane let out a sigh. "I don't know..."

"Is something on your mind? If we're dating, we have to let each other know if something's on our mind."

"... I'm... just a little..." Ayane tried to find the right words to describe how she was feeling. She couldn't come up with anything, so she said the word closest to how she felt. "... nervous about my match tomorrow. She took out several players today in just about every game and came out with barely any scratches on her characters. I'm just concerned that... I might lose and all of my training will have been for nothing."

"What are you talking about? You made it to the Top 8 in _Street Fighter_. With people like Daigo Umehara and Infiltration playing that game, it takes true skill to even make it to the Top 16. I know that just about every players' goal is to come out on top, but you shouldn't consider your training wasted because you didn't get the rank you wanted. You know, Daigo, despite being one of the top players in the world, doesn't play to win. He plays to express himself. The way I see it, as long as you have fun and do well, you can't call all that time training a waste of time."

Ayane turned over and smiled at Itsuki. "Thank you, Itsuki. That means a lot to me." She began to stroke his cheek with her hand. "Especially coming from you."

"That last sentence I came up with on the spot."

Ayane chuckled at that comment and she and Itsuki started kissing. After a few seconds of kissing, Itsuki started to take off his shirt to prepare for another session of hot, passionate love making.

* * *

The next evening in the hotel's conference hall, all of the other tournaments had finished except for one: _Street Fighter_. After the Top 8 Losers Bracket had finished, Ayane was in the first match of the Top 8 Winners Bracket. Her friends were all watching in the audience.

"Go, Ayane!" Mizuki cheered.

"Go get 'em!" Minami called out.

"I'm rooting for you!" Itsuki cheered.

Minami just leered at Itsuki. "... 'I'm rooting for you'? Is that all you've got? That was kind of lame, especially since she's your girlfriend."

"Wouldn't she feel a bit embarrassed if I shouted 'I love you, baby'?" Itsuki asked.

"Maybe, but at least it shows you acknowledge her as your girlfriend." Minami stated.

"What was that thing before the matches even started?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I think you're talking about how Capcom is releasing _Street Fighter IV_ for the fifth time in the last five years." Itsuki answered. "Sure, they make it $20 cheaper than normal, but that doesn't cover up the fact that it's mostly about the money."

"They released it five times already?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Well, the original came out in 2009, then _Super_ came out the next year, then _Arcade Edition_ came out the next year, with a 3DS re-release earlier the same year and now they're releasing it as _Ultra_ next year." Itsuki lectured. "It's starting to get annoying having to buy a new version every year or so."

As the tournament progressed, both Ayane and Yun made it to Winners Finals. Meaning that the winner would go to the Grand Finals and the loser would be sent to the Losers Bracket for the Losers Finals. The match between the two girls was about to begin as hinted by the two girls heading to the television set where the game was. As the girls took their seats in their respective chairs, Yun was the first to break the silence between them.

"I may have failed to claim your boyfriend during the _Persona_ tournament, but he WILL be mine when I win." Yun said.

"Not if I have anything to... uh, 'fight' about it?" Ayane tried to come up with an insult, but without the proper wording and timing it fell flat.

Both girls got their arcade stick controllers and attached them to the game console. They immediately selected their characters as if by instinct.

"Well, this is a bit of a coincidence." Itsuki said. "A Korean playing a Korean character and a Japanese player playing as a Japanese character."

"Huh?" Hideyoshi raised his eyebrow.

"Yun selected Juri, a character that's a Korean tae kwon do practitioner, and Ayane chose Ibuki, a Japanese ninja. So it's basically Korea vs Japan in both real life and in the game."

The match that followed was grueling and intense. Both players were making good reads, taking advantage of any openings, little to no execution errors in their actions, capitalized on any and all combo opportunities and matches were down to the wire with each player winning at least one round. It was the final round of their last match of the Winners Finals. It was match point for either girl and both of their characters were down to half health. However, Ayane ended up making a mistake that cost her the match and Yun had come out victorious.

"Yes!" Yun got up in deep satisfaction. "HAHA! Victory!"

Ayane couldn't believe what had just happened. She had just been sent to the Losers Bracket by the girl trying to take her man away from her. Now she only had one chance to redeem herself. "Great, now I have to beat the other guy in Losers Finals AND face Yun again in the Grand Finals... twice."

In double elimination tournaments, the Grand Finals is the match between the winners of both the Winners Finals and the Losers Finals. Should the winner of Losers Finals defeat the winner of Winners Finals, they do what is called resetting the bracket in which they have to fight again in order to eliminate the other player twice.

Ayane remained in her seat as she waited for her opponent for the Losers Finals while her friends remained in their seats.

"I can't believe Ayane lost." Mizuki said.

"That fight was intense." Minami stated. "Any normal person would have cracked under all that pressure."

"Hey... guys?" Akihisa spoke up. "When does our plane leave?"

"Our flight back home isn't until about a couple of hours after the finals." Itsuki responded. "We'll be fine. Just make sure to watch over our luggage that we had to take because the hotel basically kicked us out."

"I'm on it." Akihisa said.

"Are you sure?" Itsuki questioned. "You remember when we went out to eat that one time?"

_(Begin Flashback)_

_In a restaurant back home, Akihisa was sitting at a table with his head on the table, unconscious and a small puddle of blood where his face laid. Itsuki, Mizuki and Minami came back from the restroom and were shocked when they saw what had happened._

_"Aki, are you okay?!" Minami ran over to him in a panic._

_Akihisa lifted his head and showed that his head was bludgeoned into the table. "H-hey guys..." He groaned. "What did I miss?"_

_"What the hell happened to you?!" Itsuki asked. "And where's our boxes of food?"_

_"The last thing I remember were these four guys coming to our table and one of them smashed my head into the table." Akihisa recalled as he checked his pockets. "Hey, I still have my wallet."_

_"So... they nearly killed you so that they could steal our leftover food?" Itsuki questioned. "Who the hell does that?"_

_(End Flashback)_

Ayane had managed to come out victorious in the Losers Finals and was about to face Yun again in the Grand Finals. Once again, the battles were grueling, intense and just about anyone would crack under that much pressure. Apparently, that pressure was getting to both girls and in the most spectacular of comebacks, Ayane finally defeated Yun.

"IT'S OVER!" The MCs screamed into the microphone. "MISTRESS KUNOICHI HAS TAKEN DOWN THE QUEEN OF HEARTS AND HAS BECOME THE EVO 2013 CHAMPION at _Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition 2012_!"

"YEAH-HE-HE!" Itsuki shot out of his seat and roared. "WAY TO GO, AYANE!"

"NO, NO, NO!" Someone shouted out of nowhere.

A man then came up to the stage, it was the Korean man that the guys had encountered during their trip.

"This is ALL wrong!" He shouted.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Yun asked the man.

"Dad?!" Akihisa and the other guys exclaimed from this revelation.

"To want to watch my daughter become crowned a champion at something she loves." He answered to Yun. "I could overlook her losing that one tournament, but you told me what an honor it is to be considered the champion at _Street Fighter_. But now that you've lost, these people must pay."

"Pay for what?" Yun asked. "They come here to play and win for fun... and bragging rights."

The man pulled out a remote control of some kind and pressed a button. The projection screen showed footage of a truck driving on roads. "This truck is loaded with explosives that I will detonate when it comes into contact with a structure. Yun, let's go."

"Why?" Yun asked.

Just then everyone in the conference hall could hear the sound of a large vehicle approaching the hotel. They all looked at the projection screen and realized that the truck rigged with explosives was heading straight for the Paris Hotel.

"Quick, change the channel!" Akihisa shouted.

Everyone else in the room glares at Akihisa.

"Nobody wants to be reminded of that movie!" Ituski said. "But that scene was pretty funny."

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

A large number of people panicked as they tried to get out of the hotel.

"Dad, you need to stop this!" Yun scolded her father. "Yes, I wanted to win this more than anything, but at least when it comes to this I have a sense of honor. And what you're doing is not honorable. I'm... I'm disappointed in you."

Her father felt like an arrow had just been shot through his heart completely. To hear his own daughter say that made him spaz out of control so much that he dropped the remote control and Yun picked it off the ground, looking over the buttons.

"Damn it, there's no abort!" Yun grumbled. "Guess this will have to do."

Yun pressed a different button on the remote control. Outside the hotel, the truck had almost reached the side of the structure until it made a cartoonish sharp turn and drove away from hotel.

"Everyone, you can calm down now!" Yun shouted. "Crisis averted!"

People were still panicking.

"... Nobody ever listens when they panic." Yun sighed and walked over to Ayane. "I'm sorry about my dad. He can be a baby... well, all the time. You won that fight fair and square and we both did well, so I don't have any complaints. I would've liked it better if I won, but other than that, you know."

Yun and Ayane smirked and shook hands.

"How did you stop that truck?" Ayane asked.

"I didn't." Yun answered. "I merely changed its intended target."

"Where'd you send it?" Ayane asked.

* * *

In New York City at 4Kids Entertainment headquarters, board members were all having a meeting.

"Remember, we must edit out any blood, swearing, suggestive content and death out of anything we license." An elderly board member said.

"Why do we have to edit out death?" A younger board member questioned. "Disney and Nickelodeon show it to their younger viewers."

The older board member's face became furiously enraged and he threw the younger guy out of the 12-story high window. Looking out the window, they saw a truck approach the building and when it ran into the structure, the truck exploded and the whole 4Kids Entertainment building exploded and imploded along with everyone inside... None of them will be missed.


	13. Chapter 13: Hell Hath No Fury

**What the heck?! Nobody reviewed last chapter! I know people are reading it, but it still makes me think that no one is appreciating my story. Again, I'm sorry that these chapters are almost always taking so long to write. I'm caught up in school work, my friend's fanfiction and several video games. Go ahead, tell me I care too much about video games. I get that crap from my father all the time. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy... and please review...**

* * *

After their long weekend in Las Vegas, the gang had finally returned home. Nobody could put their finger on why, but things just felt different for some reason.

"Ugh, we're finally home!" Itsuki groaned as he got off with the other passengers that were getting off the plane.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad." Ayane said.

"Hideyoshi almost married a white girl." Itsuki said. "That's not in itself bad, but things got worse when he found out that-" Itsuki noticed Hideyoshi walking up to them. "... Never mind."

"Himeji fell asleep on the plane." Hideyoshi spoke to them. "Yoshii and Shimada are trying to wake her up."

"Aki, stop touching Himeji's boobs!" Minami's voice could be heard by the three.

"It was an accident!" Akihisa's voice protested. "I can't help it if they're so big and they keep bouncing around."

"You just HAVE to rub my flat chest into it, don't you?!" Minami asked as they finally made it to the others holding onto Mizuki's legs while Akihisa was carrying her by her arms and Kōta was trying to look under Mizuki's skirt to take a shot with his camera.

"... Remind me to never have Kōta watch the anime adaptation of _Rosario+Vampire_." Itsuki commented. "There are so many panty shots that he would die of blood loss long before the last episode."

"What's wrong with Mizuki?" Ayane asked.

"It might be jetlag." Itsuki guessed. "Considering we traveled across two almost opposite time zones, it doesn't surprise me that she's in a near comatose slumber."

"How come we're still not..." Akihisa was about to say before he let out a big yawn.

"We should probably head back home and get some rest." Itsuki suggested. "I'm feeling tired myself."

"Want to come back to my place and 'take a nap' there?" Ayane asked, stroking Itsuki's shoulder.

"I'd love to, but I should let my grandfather know I'm back and okay." Itsuki responded. "Also, he doesn't know that you and I are a couple yet."

"You didn't tell your grandfather about us yet?" Ayane questioned.

"We got together right before our flight to Vegas, it all happened so fast." Itsuki replied. "I can't tell him that I hooked up with a girl just before I headed to Sin City. We have to wait for the right moment to tell him.

Ayane let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, but you have to tell him eventually."

"I will, though now we have a much bigger problem at hand." Itsuki stated.

"What's that?" Akihisa asked.

"Oh, crap, that's right!" Ayane exclaimed.

"What?!" Minami asked.

"The semester finals are next week." Itsuki answered. "Hopefully Yūji was able to take notes so we can catch up on anything we may have missed."

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T TAKE NOTES?!" Itsuki shouted into his phone as he was walking back to his house. "... I don't care what your opinion of school is. What I asked you to do was incredibly simple and you only had to do it for two or three days! ... You're still stuck up on how I encouraged Shōko to force you to see _Twilight_? ... Whatever, I'm not a student that shits around and Iron Man isn't the type to be merciless all the time so maybe he can tell me which sections of the textbook to check-"

"YOU'RE HOME!"

As Itsuki was walking down the walkway to his house, Hinata jumped out of a bush and glomped him.

"DAAAAGH!" Itsuki exclaimed his reaction. "Hinata, what are you doing here?"

"I had this feeling something terrible had happened to you!" Hinata looked like she was about to cry out of joy. "I thought... I thought..."

"That I was dead?"

"No, I thought that... SHE took your virginity away from me."

"You mean Ayane? ... And my virginity doesn't belong to you." Itsuki said before thinking to himself. *Oh, boy, if she finds out that I'm dating Ayane AND sleeping with her, she's going to totally lose it like the Incredible Hulk did!*

_(Begin Skit)_

_Bruce Banner opens his kitchen drawer._

_"... No spoons?!"_

_He instantly transforms into the Hulk and smashes that part of the counter to pieces._

_"HULK NEED SPOON FOR ICE CREAM SUNDAE!"_

_(End Skit)_

"Well, I don't think she should have it." Hinata said.

"I'd like to discuss with you about this, but it'll have to wait because my grandfather is probably wondering where I am right now."

"This isn't over, Itsuki, my love!" Hinata started to run toward the direction of her home. "I won't rest until your finally mine!"

"... Since when did I become a rock star?" Itsuki asked no one in particular.

* * *

The next morning at school, it was lunchtime and the group of friends had gathered around to eat their lunches.

"How was the trip?" Yūji asked.

"It was crazy." Hideyoshi answered.

"Actually, bat shit crazy would be putting it mildly." Akihisa added.

"I had a great time." Itsuki said. "I came in second place in the tournament I was in and Ayane came in first place in hers."

"Sounds like you both did really well." Yūji said.

"And I saved the best bit of news for last." Itsuki continued. "Before the flight, I FINALLY got a girlfriend."

"Who is-" Yūji was about to ask.

Suddenly, Itsuki was captured by a lasso and pulled to the other side of the classroom. It was the FFF Inquisition with their scythes and torches that were reeling him in like a steer.

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" The Inquisition chanted.

"Damn it, I just wanted to eat my lunch in peace!" Itsuki shouted.

The others simply stared at him for a few moments.

"... Anyway, congratulations, Ayane." Yūji said.

"Congratulations for what?" Shōko appeared out of nowhere like a ghost.

"Bah! Shōko?!" Yūji exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"Yūji, why were you congratulating her and not me?" Shōko practically interrogated him.

"B-because she won a video game tournament." Yūji answered. "... Now that I said that out loud, that shouldn't be considered an actual accomplishment."

Ayane had a look on her face like Yūji had insulted her.

"But how come you congratulated her for something unimportant and not me for winning this academic medal?" Shōko questioned as she held up a gold medal.

"Because good grades don't prove how smart a person-" Yūji tried to respond, but...

"Wrong answer." Shōko interrupted by shocking Yūji with her taser.

Yūji fell to the floor, burnt to a crisp and everyone simply watching the violence.

"... Wow, that violence can be imitated!" Akihisa exclaimed as he took the taser and used it to shock a random student. "Hahahah!"

"Good thing Yoshii isn't American." Ayane said. "I heard the kids there are much more desensitized and susceptible to acts of violence than anywhere else in the world."

"That's a part of why anime dubbed in English for children generally so awful it should be illegal." Takumi commented. "Have you ever watched _Bakugan_ in English."

"... What?" Hideyoshi responded.

"Exactly." Takumi responded. "And keep it that way. Do NOT watch it, even if you're dared to."

"Anyway, what are you all planning to do for the finals?" Ayane asked.

Everyone else let out an exasperated and exhausted sigh.

"Do we really have to talk about that?" Akihisa asked. "It's only gonna make us even more stressed out."

"You can all take a look at my notes and copy them if you'd all like." Ayane offered.

"It wouldn't help me much." Minami stated. "You know I can't read kanji."

"Then we'll have to go the extra mile with you." Ayane said. "I'll teach you all I can about basic kanji. In a week, I'm going to make sure that once you read them, it'll be like reading Japanese... because you'll be reading Japanese. Like you're reading German. You'll be able to read Japanese like it was German."

"Eh, that line has lost all impact now that you've screwed it up." Akihisa said.

"Well, at least I'm positive Minami will improve." Ayane said. "What about you?"

"I've got a surefire plan to ace the test." Akihisa snapped his fingers.

"Does it involve those dice-like pencils of yours again?" Ayane guessed assuredly.

Akihisa simply remained quiet and his confident demeanor suddenly vanished.

"Luck can only take you so far, Yoshii." Hideyoshi stated. "It's surprising that you actually even made it to high school."

"What you need, Yoshii, is to study." Ayane told him. "It's the primitive way, but it's the most effective at getting good grades. Just like how killing animals is the best way to acquire meat."

Kōta sniffed something in the air. "Do any of you smell smoke?"

Everyone looked over and saw that the Inquisition tied Itsuki to a rotisserie spit over a fire and were spinning him around.

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

Ayane slammed her container of food onto the table and stood up. She walked over to the gathered Inquisition members and they all turned around.

"You let my boyfriend go right now!" Ayane said in a demanding and irritated tone.

"Hmm?" All of the Inquisition members just looked at each other in confusion. "… Guilty!" They continued chanting and spinning Itsuki around.

"I know I betrayed you guys, but could you please stop this thing before I'm cooked to a tender golden brown?" Itsuki asked in an un-amused tone.

Ayane did not look happy. She rolled up her sleeves slightly and stomped toward the Inquisition. The others at the table were looking at what was happening.

"Huh? Wait, wait! Put me down! No! STOP!"

Minami, Akihisa, Kōta, Hideyoshi and Mizuki winced and gasped as Ayane's wrath was unleashed upon the Inquisition. In the aftermath, all of the Inquisition members were lying on the floor, beaten, bloodied and unconscious. Ayane put out the fire and untied Itsuki.

"Thank you." Itsuki told Ayane. "You saved my life."

"Now those morons won't pick on you anymore." Ayane said. "Am I the best girlfriend in the world or what?"

"I'm gonna go with 'what'!" Akihisa responded.

Suddenly, one of the classroom doors burst forth and was sent flying right in Akihisa, knocking him into the wall with the door plastered in front of him.

"Did you just say… 'girlfriend'?!" An angry voice spoke.

Ayane looked over and saw that it was Hinata that had kicked the door off its hinges. She seemed to be seething with rage.

Itsuki looks at the reader. "I told you she'd Hulk."

"Why are you here, Hinata?" Ayane asked.

"I was walking by, already PO'd by the lack of spoons in the cafeteria." Hinata said as she held out an ice cream sundae. "Then I overheard you say the word 'girlfriend'. So it IS true."

"Feel free to borrow my taser." Shōko said, holding out her taser.

"Don't encourage her!" Minami exclaimed.

"Tell me, Itsuki…" Hinata spoke. "Did she take your virginity away, too?"

"Um… I don't think they're at that step yet." Hideyoshi weighed in. "And why would a girl answer that in the first place?"

"Your damn right, I did!" Ayane said.

"Again, why?" Hideyoshi commented.

Hinata felt like an arrow had just struck her in the heart. "H… how could this happen? …" Hinata started sobbing and immediately ran out of the classroom.

"… Yoshii, how come you won't have sex with me or Minami?" Mizuki asked.

"What girl ASKS that q

Hinata had left the school grounds and went to her bedroom at her house. She just sat in a corner crying and sobbing.

"It's not fair… it's not fair… I should have made my move on him sooner… I should have just told him how I felt after the placement tests! Hell, even before that!"

Hinata continued to sob uncontrollably until a strange light appeared in dark, unlit bedroom. She looked up and saw the Grim Reaper.

"Don't mind me." The Reaper said. "I'm just waiting for you to kill yourself out of grief. You teenagers get way too emotional."

"Just what I need!" Hinata stood up and was about to touch the Reaper, but pulled her hands back. "Right, one touch will kill me."

"Not if it's just my cloak."

"Is it true that you have mystical otherworldly powers such as time travel?"

"Yeah, wh… Oh, I get it! You want to go back and admit your feelings to that guy. Too bad, girly, that ain't gonna happen."

"Oh, then I'll just turn on _Jersey__ Shore_." Hinata picked up her television remote.

"You wouldn't."

Hinata pressed the button on the remote and _Jersey__ Shore_ came on the television.

"Stop it! All right! I'll do it!"

"Thank you. And you could have just warped out of here."

"Damn it! You know what? Screw you, I'll just-"

BAM!

Hinata had grabbed a metal bat and knocked the Reaper's head off, causing his body to drop his scythe so it could find his head. Hinata used this opportunity to take his scythe.

"Take me to the moment I finished the placement tests!" Hinata exclaimed.

Energy surrounded Hinata and she disappeared.

uestion?!" Itsuki asked in exasperation. "I don't even think guys would ask that! It's so baffling I don't even know where to begin!"

* * *

Hinata reappeared in one of the hallways at FumizukiAcademy. She looked into one of the classrooms and saw her past self taking the placement test in there.

"Okay, now I just have to get my past self to go to Itsuki's house and confess my love for him." Hinata said to herself. "But how to do that? If both of us see each other, it would cause a paradox that could destroy time and space. I want to be with Itsuki more than anything, but it won't matter if existence vanishes."

A few minutes later, as the students in the classroom were taking the test and the proctor was keeping an eye on them Hinata knocked on the door. The proctor got up and walked over to the door and one student used the opportunity to lean over and look at another student's answers. The proctor opened the door to see no one there, but he noticed that there was a folded up note on the floor that said 'Give to Hinata Inoue after the test' on the fold. The proctor picked it up and went back into the classroom. Hinata then reappeared out of thin air.

"Time travel AND invisibility?! This scythe is awesome!" Hinata squealed. "Now to see how things will turn out."

* * *

Hinata was hiding in a bush near Itsuki's house as she spied on her past self knocking on the door. Hinata could help but mischievously smirk with joy upon seeing her handiwork in motion. After a few knocks, the past Itsuki opened the door.

"Hello?" Itsuki greeted the past Hinata.

"Um…" The past Hinata squeaked, blushing at the sight of Itsuki. "Y-you're Itsuki, right? I go to FumizukiAcademy with you."

"Well, considering I was late to the placement test, I'm going to end up in Class F." Itsuki said. "Wait, how do you know who I am? I usually just hang out with myself."

"Well… Itsuki… Last winter, I slipped on some ice and fell unconscious. You came to my rescue and brought me back to your place so I could recover. If you hadn't done that, I would've been frozen to death. And well… I have to come out and say this… Itsuki… I LOVE YOU!"

_"How will these events unfold?"_ A narration came out of nowhere. _"Will Hinata succeed in taking Itsuki away? If she does, how will it affect the present? What is the point of this goofy, soap opera style narration? Tune in next time to find out."_

"Why do we have to wait?" The present Hinata asked.

_"Because this chapter took too long to come out and people are getting impatient. Plus it gives the next chapter more content."_


End file.
